Introduction: To improvement the target company’s manufacturing process by applyinglean principles, including using and analyzing the internal value stream mapping. Asmore and more companies have paid attention to implement lean thinking in theirmanufacturing process, the value stream mapping played an important role for manycompanies to make a transition from their traditional production systems to lean systems.The content and resources of this master thesis come from an American furniturecompany named KAMA which mainly produces office furniture with different components.Although there are various types of products, the authors merely focus on the officechair products. This research is an attempt to understand and analyze the problemsin the production flow on the example of KAMA’s office chair products that includesPH product family as the target research part.Purpose: The purpose of this research study is to investigate, analyze and find out solutionsfor waste-related problems in the office chair manufacturing flow of KAMA.Method: A single case study will be applied in this study paper. Data should be collectedfrom telephone interviews with company’s managements, the studying ofKAMA’s internal documentation and the secondary data from lean project report collectedby Consultant EIMI. In order to improve the production process, the valuestream mapping method will be applied to build the current value state map of CompanyKAMA and identify the potential wastes during the manufacturing process, andthen analyze and give the solutions for future improvement. Additional, other methodsincluding the order penetration point analysis, make-to-stock theory, and the CONWIPanalysis have been subsequently applied in designing a draft of the future state map.Conclusion: From the constructed current value stream mapping of KAMA officechair manufacturing process, it can be found that the most essential wastes are overproduction,waiting, unnecessary inventory and unnecessary movement. In addition, theimproper workstation arrangement and unnecessary waiting time have been identified asthe critical wasting reasons. Thus, any solutions to reduce or eliminate the identifiedwastes have been considered and would be given in the future state. In order to improvethe efficiency and reduce the unnecessary movements, adopting the appropriate cellularlayout in the mechanical workshop is quite beneficial. The mentioned methods to reducewastes have been summarized in the draft of the future state map of the company.The main benefits of the proposed future state value stream mapping are faster and accurateorder fulfillment process, reduction of unnecessary movements in workshop, lowinventory, high productivity and reduced costs in the flow of KAMA’s manufacturingprocess.

Introduction. Improvement of the product flow by means of applying the lean principles, including the value stream mapping tool has become an important component in the at-tempt of many companies to make transition from traditional production to the lean manu-facturing system. It often implies modernization of organizational structure, relationships with sub-contractors, suppliers and transportation companies. The topic of this master the-sis originates from company HAGS Aneby AB that produces playing systems comprising different components. This report is an attempt to understand and analyze the problems in the product flow on the example of playing system Agito that includes Origo product fam-ily components as the main constructive part. Purpose. The purpose of this case study has been to identify, analyze and propose solu-tions for waste-related problems in the Origo product flow, by applying the lean thinking principles and the data collection methods. Method. The proposed case study methodology combines both theoretical and empirical approach. Data collected in interviews with sub-contractors and suppliers, and observa-tions at the mechanical workshop and warehouse, have constituted the input for the value stream mapping method. The value stream mapping method has been applied to construct the current state map of the Origo value stream and identify the wastes. Furthermore, other methods including the decision point analysis, the postponement theory, and the supplier/buyer dependence grid have been subsequently applied to analyze the company relationships with key business partners and assist in designing a draft of the future state map. Conclusion. It has been concluded from the constructed current state map of Origo value stream that the most critical wastes are waiting, transportation, unnecessary inventory, un-necessary motion and defects. Furthermore, the requirement of minimum quantity of raw material to be purchased from the supplier and the improper workshop layout has been recognized as the main reasons for the wastes. The measures to reduce the identified wastes have been pointed out. It has been proposed to better integrate the key actors into the HAGS supply chain. Adopting the cellular layout in the mechanical workshop has been found beneficial as well as orientation of production on customer orders rather than on forecasting. The mentioned measures to reduce wastes have been summarized in the draft of the future state map. The main advantages of the proposed future state are faster order fulfillment process, gained visibility and control of raw material and reduced costs in the flow of Origo components.

In their strive for success in competitive markets companies often turn to Lean philosophy. However, for many companies Lean benefits are hard to substantialize especially when their ventures have met success through traditional manufacturing approaches. Traditional Lean tools analyze current situations or help Lean implementation. Therefore productions facilities require tools that enhance the evaluation of Lean proposals in such a way that decisions are supported by quantitative data and not only on a gut feeling. This thesis proposes how Discrete Event Simulation may be used as an evaluation tool in production process improvement to decide which proposal best suits Lean requirements. Theoretical and empirical studies were carried out. Literature review helped define the problem. A case study was performed at Alfa Laval to investigate through a holistic approach how and why did this tool provide a solution to the research questions. Case study analysis was substantiated with Discrete Event Simulation models for the evaluation of current and future state Lean proposals. Results of this study show that Discrete Event Simulation was not designed and does not function as a Lean specific tool. The use of Discrete Event Simulation in Lean assessment applications requires the organization to understand the principles of Lean and its desired effects. However, the use of traditional static Lean tools such as Value Stream Mapping and dynamic Discrete Event Simulation complement each other in a variety of ways. Discrete Event Simulation provides a unique condition to account for process variability and randomness. Both measurement of and reduction in variability through simulation provide insight to Lean implementation strategies.

<p>Introduction. Improvement of the product flow by means of applying the lean principles, including the value stream mapping tool has become an important component in the at-tempt of many companies to make transition from traditional production to the lean manu-facturing system. It often implies modernization of organizational structure, relationships with sub-contractors, suppliers and transportation companies. The topic of this master the-sis originates from company HAGS Aneby AB that produces playing systems comprising different components. This report is an attempt to understand and analyze the problems in the product flow on the example of playing system Agito that includes Origo product fam-ily components as the main constructive part.</p><p>Purpose. The purpose of this case study has been to identify, analyze and propose solu-tions for waste-related problems in the Origo product flow, by applying the lean thinking principles and the data collection methods.</p><p>Method. The proposed case study methodology combines both theoretical and empirical approach. Data collected in interviews with sub-contractors and suppliers, and observa-tions at the mechanical workshop and warehouse, have constituted the input for the value stream mapping method. The value stream mapping method has been applied to construct the current state map of the Origo value stream and identify the wastes. Furthermore, other methods including the decision point analysis, the postponement theory, and the supplier/buyer dependence grid have been subsequently applied to analyze the company relationships with key business partners and assist in designing a draft of the future state map.</p><p>Conclusion. It has been concluded from the constructed current state map of Origo value stream that the most critical wastes are waiting, transportation, unnecessary inventory, un-necessary motion and defects. Furthermore, the requirement of minimum quantity of raw material to be purchased from the supplier and the improper workshop layout has been recognized as the main reasons for the wastes. The measures to reduce the identified wastes have been pointed out. It has been proposed to better integrate the key actors into the HAGS supply chain. Adopting the cellular layout in the mechanical workshop has been found beneficial as well as orientation of production on customer orders rather than on forecasting. The mentioned measures to reduce wastes have been summarized in the draft of the future state map. The main advantages of the proposed future state are faster order fulfillment process, gained visibility and control of raw material and reduced costs in the flow of Origo components.</p>

<p>Introduction: To improvement the target company’s manufacturing process by applyinglean principles, including using and analyzing the internal value stream mapping. Asmore and more companies have paid attention to implement lean thinking in theirmanufacturing process, the value stream mapping played an important role for manycompanies to make a transition from their traditional production systems to lean systems.The content and resources of this master thesis come from an American furniturecompany named KAMA which mainly produces office furniture with different components.Although there are various types of products, the authors merely focus on the officechair products. This research is an attempt to understand and analyze the problemsin the production flow on the example of KAMA’s office chair products that includesPH product family as the target research part.Purpose: The purpose of this research study is to investigate, analyze and find out solutionsfor waste-related problems in the office chair manufacturing flow of KAMA.Method: A single case study will be applied in this study paper. Data should be collectedfrom telephone interviews with company’s managements, the studying ofKAMA’s internal documentation and the secondary data from lean project report collectedby Consultant EIMI. In order to improve the production process, the valuestream mapping method will be applied to build the current value state map of CompanyKAMA and identify the potential wastes during the manufacturing process, andthen analyze and give the solutions for future improvement. Additional, other methodsincluding the order penetration point analysis, make-to-stock theory, and the CONWIPanalysis have been subsequently applied in designing a draft of the future state map.Conclusion: From the constructed current value stream mapping of KAMA officechair manufacturing process, it can be found that the most essential wastes are overproduction,waiting, unnecessary inventory and unnecessary movement. In addition, theimproper workstation arrangement and unnecessary waiting time have been identified asthe critical wasting reasons. Thus, any solutions to reduce or eliminate the identifiedwastes have been considered and would be given in the future state. In order to improvethe efficiency and reduce the unnecessary movements, adopting the appropriate cellularlayout in the mechanical workshop is quite beneficial. The mentioned methods to reducewastes have been summarized in the draft of the future state map of the company.The main benefits of the proposed future state value stream mapping are faster and accurateorder fulfillment process, reduction of unnecessary movements in workshop, lowinventory, high productivity and reduced costs in the flow of KAMA’s manufacturingprocess.</p>

Bakgrund: Att utveckla och förbättra organisationer genom effektivare användning av de resurser man har till förfogandet har blivit allt mer betydelsefullt under de senaste decennierna. Genom fokusering kring de aktiviteter som tillför värde hos kunden i slutprodukten kan företag reducera och eliminera oönskade slöserier inom tillverkningsprocessen. Ett verktyg som utvecklats och används för att eliminera dessa oönskade aktiviteter så som lagerhållning är Value stream mapping (VSM).   Problemformulering: Hur kan man identifiera slöserier samt dess förbättringsmöjligheter för att möjliggöra en högre produktionskapacitet genom frigörandet av anläggningsyta?¨   Syfte: Genom användandet av VSM som modell, identifiera slöserier och kostnadseffektiva förbättringsmöjligheter.   Metod: Denna fallstudie har utförts på ett företag som arbetar inom metallindustrin. Större delen av datainsamlingen har tagits från företagets egna dokumenterande data samt intervjuer med anställda och observationer under de besök författarna genomförde.   Slutsatser: Genom att använda VSM som en modell har författarna lyckats identifiera fallföretagets största faktorer till slöserier samt ge förslag och underlag till framtida förbättrings implementationer av förbättringsstrategier. Författarna har bevisat utifrån den teoretiska data studien är grundad på gentemot den empiriska att flertal förbättringsmöjligheter utöver den som företaget tänkt sig finns till deras förfogande vid eventuell framtida implementering.   Nyckelord Value stream mapping, VSM, slöseri, materialflöde, materialhantering, tillverkningsindustri, förbättringsstrategi

Med utgångspunkten att ständigt förbättras och öka konkurrenskraften arbetar Alfa Laval mot Leanprinciper. Vad som dock är ett problemområde är att se över fabriken ur ett helhetsperspektiv, närfabriken är uppdelad i många avdelningar. Lösningen till detta problem är att via olika metoder ellerverktyg kunna fastställa svaren på problemen.Denna examensrapport redogör för hur metoder inom Lean produktion kan vara lösningen förproblemområdet. Forskningen är huvudsakligen byggd på en bred värdeflödesanalys som syftar till attfånga in ett företags alla aspekter ur ett helhetsperspektiv, med syftet att minska risker försuboptimering och istället optimera produktionen som helhet.För att se gränssnitt mellan informationsflödet har i denna forskning metoden swimlane utgjort enkartläggning över ett företags hela kontorsavdelning, planerings och inköps avdelningar.Resultatet av denna forskning visar att värdeflödesanals är en bra metod för att kunna identifieraslöserier, ojämnheter i produktion, brister vid tillverkningen och flaskhalsar. För att sammankopplaolika avdelningar av ett företags informationsflöde, visas i resultaten att swimlane är en bra metod försyftet.

This Master's thesis is focused on complaint handling process in the chosen enterprise. The main goal of this thesis is optimization of the chosen customers' complaints using the appropriate Six Sigma methods. In the theoretical part the reverse logistics and its importance are described then Lean enterprise concepts and methods, which are used for the complaint handling process optimization, are explained. The first part of the practical part introduces the enterprise and its logistics and complaint handling process. The rest of the thesis contains the complaint handling process optimization using the DMAIC method.

Dagens företag blir allt mer resursbejakande. Ett sätt att bli mer effektiva med resurser är lean production, en strategisk metod som går ut på att eliminera slöseri. Värdeflödesanalys är ett verktyg inom lean som kan användas för att få en klarare bild av hur verkligheten ser ut och hjälpa till att få en klarare bild av vart problemen ligger. När en sådan analys har gjorts upptäcks ofta en maskin eller station som saktar ner produktionen. Sådana stationer kallas ”flaskhalsar”. Syftet med denna studie är att utforma en metodik för analys och effektivisering av materialflöden baserat på flaskhalsteori och lean production. Metodiken testas på Företag AB:s filial. Utifrån litteraturstudier arbetades metodiken fram, den består i huvudsak av två steg, nulägesbeskrivning och analyserande diskussion. Dessa steg sker med stöd av olika faktorer inom lean production och flaskhalsteori. Metodiken tillämpades på vårat fallföretag, och visade sig bl.a. vara ett strukturerat sätt för att studera nuläet och diskutera förbättringsförslag. Litteraturstudier har genomförts för insamling av teori. På företaget genomfördes intervjuer och observationer med personal och chefer som var delaktiga i flödet som studerades, SK23DF. Filialen på Företag AB jobbar med 150 olika stålsorter och ca 3000 olika produkter. Flödet är dessutom korsande och prognosstyrt och det medför att det blir ett massivt undertagande att effektivisera dessa på bästa sätt. Slutsatser som nåtts är att personalens nuvarande samsyn för effektiv produktion är ett hinder för detta. Personalen bör utbildas för att få en större bild av helheten och på så sätt ge dem bättre förutsättningar vid förändring och förbättringsarbete. All forskning pekar på att en god förståelse av nuläget, av samtliga inom organisationen, är nyckeln till ett lyckat förändringsarbete vid effektivisering av flöden. / Companies today are becoming more and more resource-promoting. A way for companies to become more effective with their resources is Lean Production, which is a strategic method that involves eliminating waste. Value stream mapping is a tool that can be used to get a clearer picture of reality and visualize where the problem lies. When the analysis is done, it will often show a machine or station that is slowing down production. Stations like that are called ”bottlenecks”. The purpose with this study is to form a methodology for analysis and efficiency of material flows based on bottleneck theory and lean production. The methodology will be tested on Företag AB:s filial. The methodology was worked out from literature studies. It consists of two main steps, status report and analyzing discussion. These two steps is supported by different factors within lean production and bottleneck theory. The methodology is applied on our business case and showed to be a structured way to study the current state of production and to discuss improvements. Literature studies has been used to gather theoretical knowledge. Within the company interviews and observations were conducted with operators and executives who was involved with the product flow that was investigated, SK23DF. Företag AB:s filial works with 150 different types of steel with about 3000 different products. The production flow is also forecast-controlled and intersecting and it is a massive under-taking to streamline these in the best way possible. Conclusions reached is that the staff's current consensus for efficient production is an obstacle to this. The staff should be trained to get a bigger picture of the whole, thus giving them better prospects for change and improvement. All research points to the importance of fully understanding the current situation, by everyone within the organization. This is the key to succeed with change management at streamlining flows.

El texto completo de este trabajo no está disponible en el Repositorio Académico UPC por restricciones de la casa editorial donde ha sido publicado. / The printing sector in Peru constantly faces the need to reduce production time because late deliveries to the customer owing to high manufacturing time are critical problems. Previous studies have proposed using the lean manufacturing philosophy to reduce idle times by improving the flow of information within the production processes in large manufacturing companies but not printing SMEs using these tools in a make-to-order environment. This document focuses on implementing an affordable lean manufacturing model in an SME company with a make-to-order environment to reduce its manufacturing times. Therefore, the Kanban, Single Minute Exchange of Dies (SMED), and value stream mapping (VSM) processes will be adapted for implementation in these companies. Then, the model is validated through its application in a case study; through process simulation, production times were reduced by 24% for an SME, delivering all orders on time, and eliminating 100% penalty costs for late orders.