Title: A case study on value stream mapping in a heavy engineering industry

Authors: E.M. Santhosh; S. Vinodh

Addresses: Department of Production Engineering, National Institute of Technology Tiruchirappalli, Tiruchirappalli – 620 015, Tamil Nadu, India ' Department of Production Engineering, National Institute of Technology Tiruchirappalli, Tiruchirappalli – 620 015, Tamil Nadu, India

Abstract: Value stream mapping (VSM) is one of the primary tools of lean manufacturing facilitating workplace organisation, improved quality, process optimisation and so on. The purpose of this article is to report a study on value stream mapping (VSM) in a heavy engineering fabrication industry. A case study of VSM of a particular product in a heavy engineering fabrication industry is done. The current state map is developed and wastes are identified and reduced in the future state along with improvements. The results of VSM study indicated the initial lead-time of 192.63 days and initial cycle time of 138.56 days. After recognising wastes or non-value added activities and initiating improvement actions, reduced lead-time is 164.41 days (85% of initial lead-time) and reduced cycle time is 106.13 days (77% of initial cycle time). The practical implications are discussed.

Keywords: lean manufacturing; value stream mapping; VSM; lead-time; cycle time; heavy engineering industry.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMCP.2021.118970

International Journal of Management Concepts and Philosophy, 2021 Vol.14 No.3, pp.259 - 270

Received: 03 Jun 2021
Accepted: 04 Jun 2021
Published online: 15 Nov 2021 *

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