Increasing Productivity and Process Improvement Using Lean Manufacturing

The diploma thesis examines the possibility of increasing productivity in a production facility with the help of selected lean manufacturing methods. Various activities that must be performed by workers, machines and products to achieve the desired results are presented. The introduction of the SMED concept and the savings achieved with it are shown.

Solution and Method

The diploma thesis examines the possibility of increasing productivity in a production facility with the help of selected lean manufacturing methods. Production is described, divided into individual, mass and process production, and a comparison between these types of production is also presented. The history and development of lean manufacturing is discussed in depth, with emphasis on the seven types of waste (inventory, waiting/delays, scrap, overproduction, unnecessary movements, transport, excessive processing) and the five basic principles of lean manufacturing (value from the customer's perspective, value stream, flow, pull, striving for excellence).

Selected lean manufacturing methods are presented, such as JIT, KANBAN, SMED and KAIZEN. The existing state of production, the company itself, its organisational structure and machinery are described below. An analysis of all existing production problems and losses is carried out, which were divided into Muda, Muri and Mura within the framework of lean manufacturing.

For successful planning and implementation of improvements, key production performance indicators are measured, such as productivity, capacity, utilisation, process cycle efficiency, production takt and throughput. The introduction of all four selected lean manufacturing methods into the production facility is then presented. This section presents in detail the process of determining the state of production before the introduction of improvements and the state after their introduction.

The procedure of simulating rounds 1, 2 and 3 is shown, which determines what is most sensible to change in production for it to operate well. Various methods (5S, value stream mapping, standardised work, 6 sigma) are presented with which we achieve more organised production, better flow of materials and information, less scrap and consequently higher product quality.

Results

Various activities that must be performed by workers, machines and products to achieve the desired results are presented. The introduction of the SMED concept and the savings achieved with it are shown. Towards the end of this section, the quality that is already built into the products and how digitalisation affects the process results are presented.

Finally, a comparison of measurements before and after the introduction of selected lean manufacturing methods is carried out. It was found that all key production performance indicators improved, including productivity. Research into the hypotheses and statements put forward showed that they are all sensibly defined and confirmed.