Productivity increase in a large size slaughterhouse: a simulation approach applying lean manufacturing

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos Coutinho Fernandes Junior ◽  
Leonel Teixeira Pinto

Purpose The main purpose of this paper is to develop a study of the determination of the most appropriate execution steps, necessary for the construction of modelling, simulation and optimization for the specific area of slaughter line balancing. And through the developed model to demonstrate the application of simulation to increase productivity in a large-size swine slaughterhouse, focusing on operator stations balancing. The built model may be applied to support the management of the plant, allowing to evaluate and decide the optimized scenario that meets current needs considering operational cost, production demand and productivity. Design/methodology/approach For the research development, the selected software supports the characteristics of the evaluated process, in this case, a discreet simulation with stochastics variables. The studied plant was modelled door by door, from the swine reception until the packaging area. The research methodology was based on lean manufacturing (LM) principles, particularly in workstations balancing, by optimizing the idle time of the operators, comparing with the cycle time of each task, in the evaluated workstations. Findings The achieved result with the modelling and simulation was the increase of 11.89% in plant productivity through manpower optimization. The study indicates that the simulation applied with LM concepts as operative stations balancing and value stream map can be a very useful tool to support decision-making for productivity improvement. Originality/value This study approaches how modelling and simulation can support decision-making to implement improvements associated to workforce balancing optimization, especially in the studied area (agribusiness, animal slaughter). The studied process presents great variability associated with the processing time of each phase, making the analysis and modelling more complex. The number of workstations involved, with more than 800 employees, is an important point in the research, considering that cases with higher values than the case presented were not identified in literature.

2008 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 40-70 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Anand ◽  
Rambabu Kodali

PurposeIn recent years, many manufacturing companies are attempting to implement lean manufacturing systems (LMS) as an effective manufacturing strategy to survive in a highly competitive market. Such a process of selecting a suitable manufacturing system is highly complex and strategic in nature. The paper aims to how companies make a strategic decision of selecting LMS as part of their manufacturing strategy, and on what basis such strategic decisions are made by the managers.Design/methodology/approachA case study of a small‐ and medium‐sized enterprise is presented, in which the managers are contemplating on implementing either computer integrated manufacturing systems (CIMS) or LMS. To supplement the decision‐making process, a multi‐criteria decision making (MCDM) model, namely, the preference ranking organisation method for enrichment evaluations (PROMETHEE) is used to analyse how it will impact the stakeholders of the organisation, and the benefits gained.FindingsAn extensive analysis of PROMETHEE model revealed that LMS was the best for the given circumstances of the case.Research limitations/implicationsThe same problem can be extended by incorporating the constraints (such as financial, technical, social) of the organisation by utilising an extended version of PROMETHEE called the PROMETHEE V. Since, a single case study approach has been utilised, the findings cannot be generalized for any other industry.Practical limitations/implicationsThe methodology of PROMETHEE and its algorithm has been demonstrated in a detailed way and it is believed that it will be useful for managers to apply such MCDM tools to supplement their decision‐making efforts.Originality/valueAccording to the authors’ knowledge there is no paper in the literature, which discusses the application of PROMETHEE in making a strategic decision of implementing LMS as a part of an organisation's manufacturing strategy.


2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (5) ◽  
pp. 1480-1499 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guilherme Tortorella ◽  
Glauco Silva ◽  
Lucila M.S. Campos ◽  
Cassiano Pizzeta ◽  
Amanda Latosinski ◽  
...  

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate, through a comparative analysis, the applicability of lean manufacturing practices, such as value stream mapping (VSM), for productivity improvement in recycling centres (RCs) aided by multi-criteria decision analysis. Design/methodology/approach The study is carried out in five RCs that sort the municipal solid waste of Porto Alegre, one of the main cities in Brazil. Since all of the centres present their labour composed by poor communities’ members, cultural and social characteristics may represent an incremental challenge for lean implementation. Further, these centres are organised in cooperatives, in which decisions are taken through a participatory way and all their members are entitled to vote, undermining and retarding the decision-making process. Findings The integration of a multi-criteria decision-making tool to the lean practices enables the prioritisation of improvements, complementing the final stage of VSM. In particular, this contribution becomes especially important in cooperatives managed by community, where decisions are often complex and time-consuming. Finally, despite the increasing pressure for better performance of RCs, the existent mindset is still far from the private sector, where lean practices were conceived. Further, the findings suggest that, despite processes similarities, it is not feasible to declare the existence of a one-best practice to such scenario. Originality/value In theoretical terms, the authors demonstrate through a multi-case study the adequacy of analytic hierarchy process as a decision analysis tool complementary to the VSM, enabling a broader perspective about this subject. Concerning the practical contribution, the comprehension of the adaptation needs for lean practices implementation within the production context of solid waste RCs provides a framework with guidelines for this sector, when incorporating lean activities. Lean practitioners and eventual municipal authorities involved in improving productivity of community-managed RCs might benefit from this framework, since they will be able to emphasise the development of recommended and already tested lean practices that tend to improve their operational performance.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Piyush Jaiswal ◽  
Amit Singh ◽  
Subhas C. Misra ◽  
Amaresh Kumar

Purpose This study aims to investigate the interrelationships among the Lean manufacturing (LM) adoption barriers in Indian SMEs. This issue has its own importance as LM has become the inescapable requirement for small- and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) because of the increased concerns about quality, cost, delivery time and rapidly growing competition in the manufacturing sector and in India it is opposed by many factors/barriers. To act for the eradication of these barriers, we need to systematically analyze them. Design/methodology/approach Based on the available literature and consultation with the experts, the authors identified 16 LM barriers for Indian SMEs. The authors analyzed the interdependencies among the barriers and prioritized them using integrated Grey-decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (grey-DEMATEL) approach. Findings The findings show that limited financial resources, fear in adopting new technology, lack of top management commitment and poor leadership quality are the most critical barriers for LM diffusion in Indian SMEs. Research limitations/implications The present research is based on the experts’ inputs, which may be subject to individual biases. In developing countries, such as India, geographical influences are also possible, which are neglected in this study. Practical implications This study provides significant insights that can help SMEs to focus on critical cause group barriers to accelerate the LM penetration. Originality/value The authors have proposed a Grey-DEMATEL-based LM barrier evaluation framework. Here, the authors analyze the interrelationships among the barriers for LM and segregate them in cause and effect groups.


Facilities ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (7/8) ◽  
pp. 523-538 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diego Guillen ◽  
Diego Gomez ◽  
Ingrid Hernandez ◽  
Daniela Charris ◽  
Juan Gonzalez ◽  
...  

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide a comprehensive methodology and a case study about the successful integration of FCA with continuous improvement tools for strategic decision-making processes. Reliable knowledge of the condition of tangible assets and their ability to fulfill their target activities over time are required for an assertive strategical decision process. Facility condition assessment (FCA) is a recognized methodology that allows the systematic evaluation of this performance. For those companies whose primary objective is the production of goods, decisions associated with improvements on the productive system or re-adaptation of existing assets may also require the implementation of alternative methodologies, with a direct impact on the indicators of the company and therefore on the FCA. Design/methodology/approach This study presents a methodology for the integration of FCA and lean manufacturing (LM) as a tool in strategic decision-making process that involves the integration of continuous improvement processes or significant changes in the production process, in which the condition of the installation impacts decisively the productivity of the system. Findings The results of the implementation on an insecticide and herbicide production plant indicate an increase of 33 per cent in the capacity of the formulation process and over 20 per cent reduction in the internal quality claims associated with the packaging system. Practical implications Those methodological stages are applicable to facilities in which the FCA shows the need for significant reconditioning of assets, the need to increase the efficiency and/or the production capacity. This methodology integrates elements of continuous improvement and redesign of production systems. Originality/value The original value of this paper is oriented to the capacity to integrate different FCA and LM tools through the company indicators of productivity key performance indicators and, in addition, of a comprehensive illustration based on a study case.


2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 447-462 ◽  
Author(s):  
Om Ji Shukla ◽  
Gunjan Soni ◽  
G. Anand

Purpose – In the current customer-driven market, the manufacturers have to be highly responsive and flexible to deliver a variety of products. Hence, to meet this dynamic and uncertain market changes, the production system, which enables the manufacturing of such variety of products should be able to meet such diverse, dynamic changes. Hence, selecting a suitable manufacturing system is a key strategic decision for today's manufacturing organization, which needs to survive in these uncertain market conditions. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to present a decision-making model for selecting the best manufacturing system and also discuss the criteria on the basis of which the management can select the same. Design/methodology/approach – A case of small- and medium-sized company is presented, in which the management is deciding to establish a most suitable manufacturing system. To supplement this, a suitable multi-criteria decision-making model (MCDM), the grey approach is used to analyze manufacturing system alternatives based on various decision criteria to arrive a comparative ranking. Findings – An extensive analysis of grey-based decision-making model described grey decision matrix, grey normalized decision matrix, grey weighted normalized decision matrix and grey possibility degrees for three alternatives revealed that lean manufacturing systems was found to be the most suitable manufacturing system among three alternatives for a given case. Research limitations/implications – The same study can be extended by including sub-criteria with main criteria for selection of manufacturing system by utilizing two MCDM techniques such as AHP or ANP with Grey approach. Practical implications – The Grey approach has been discussed in a detailed way and it will be useful for the managers to use this approach as a tool for solving similar type of decision-making problems in their organizations in the future. Originality/value – Although, the problem of selecting a suitable manufacturing system is often addressed both in practice and research, very few reports are available in the literature of Grey-based decision models that demonstrated its application for selecting a suitable manufacturing systems.


Author(s):  
V. Saravanan ◽  
S. Nallusamy ◽  
Abraham George

Productivity is an important parameter for all small and medium scale manufacturing industries. Lean manufacturing emerged as production strategy capable of increasing productivity by identifying and eliminating non value added activities. This article deals with productivity improvement in a pre-assembly line of gearbox manufacturing company with a case study using lean concepts like process flow chart, process Gantt chart and time study. This paper illustrates using a case study on how a value stream mapping has to be carried out in a planet carrier pre-assembly line. Value stream mapping and work standardization are the key tools used in lean manufacturing and lean transformation. It makes the process smoother, helps in reduction of lead time and ultimately increasing the productivity. From the observed results it was found that, the productivity has been increased from 7 pieces to 10 pieces in the first step assembly when the proposed VSM was implemented. The second step processing time was reduced by the execution of proposed value stream mapping with TAKT time of 126 minutes and 165 minutes of processing time for demand of 10 pieces were achieved and the overall processing time has been reduced by about 24%.


2018 ◽  
Vol 67 (8) ◽  
pp. 1394-1415 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jagdeep Singh ◽  
Harwinder Singh ◽  
Gurpreet Singh

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to uncover the significance of lean manufacturing technique in manufacturing environments. Design/methodology/approach Lean manufacturing is a management approach focused on incremental improvements in operations. Different lean strategies are being utilized by manufacturing industry to improve the performance of current manufacturing system processes. This study attempts to evaluate the performance of different lean manufacturing tools in the manufacturing industry of northern India. The importance level of different lean tools, important benefits achieved after successful implementation of lean manufacturing approach and benefits occurred after implementation of different lean tools have been identified. A questionnaire survey in the case company has been performed and the most important element of lean manufacturing has been implemented. Findings Results explicitly depict that just-in-time manufacturing is the most important element of lean manufacturing. Results indicate the net savings of rupees 242,208 annually after implementing lean manufacturing technique in a case company. Originality/value The paper demonstrates the practical application of lean technique showing how it can bring real breakthroughs in saving cost in the manufacturing industry.


2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 419-455 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vivek Soni ◽  
Prasanta Kumar Dey ◽  
Rashmi Anand ◽  
Charru Malhotra ◽  
Devinder Kumar Banwet

Purpose The purpose of this research paper is to assess e-governance efficacy in various sectors of India. The paper develops on Grey System Theory (GST) methodology and enlightens grey portions of e-governance in select sectors. Research study identifies few grey criteria which affect implementation of information and communication technology (ICT) applications to support sustainable e-governance. Such criteria are related to information security breaches, information technology (IT) policy implementation, investments and strategic advantages for the various sector developments. Design/methodology/approach Considering “information” as a sensitive element to security for administration and part of dark portion to Indian economy, GST-based COmplex PRroportional ASsessment (COPRAS-G) method is adopted to assess the e-governance efficacy. The method provides flexible multicriteria decision-making (MCDM) approach to assess e-governance in prioritizing the sector alternatives of future strategic development. Priority order of select sectors is estimated, and COPRAS-G method is used in the research study to support decision-making on e-governance. Study compares ten major gross domestic product-dependent sectors based on few grey criteria. These criteria are chosen based on authors’ perspective on this study and feedback received from government officials of district levels under the Digital India-training programme. To address the subjectivity that lies in e-governance grey areas of sector, criteria are also weighted using fuzzy scale. Later methodology-based results are presented to draw a strategic road map for strategic development of the country. Findings On applying COPRAS-G method to predict pessimistic, optimistic and realistic scenarios of e-governance implementation across the ten sectors, high priory order in realistic scenario of results shows that implementation of ICT applications for e-governance should be in the sectors such as environment, climate change and in the railways. Industrial sector is also ranked as the preferred one over the other sectors on the basis of e-governance efficacy assessment. Research limitations/implications Here COPRAS-G method is used as MCDM techniques. However, few other MCDM techniques such as GRA, DRSA, VIKOR, SMAA, SWARA and SAW can be also explored to outrank various Indian sectors to deal with subjectivity in decision-making. Practical implications Implementation of ICT applications to support e-governance varies from sector to sector. ICT-based governance involves high degree of complexity in driving the operations for development of respective sectors. Therefore, government and policymakers need more flexibility to overcome present barriers of sector development. Such research can support decision-making where GST-based COPRAS-G method is able to capture and address the breaches of information security. Moreover, management concern for sector development has been presented on the basis of pessimistic, optimistic and realistic scenarios more precisely. Social implications The results can provide guidance to the academicians, policymakers and public sectors highlighting various possible measures to handle the security breaches in multi-facet intention of sustainable development. The outcomes from MCDM framework can also help in drawing a rough trajectory of strategy, i.e. development of ICTs applications and e-governance process. Originality/value This paper can supplement and act as the support for decision-making in conflicting situations on different flexible scenarios. Moreover, such work can synergize conflicting ideas of decision makers, academics and various other stakeholders of the Indian IT sector.


2014 ◽  
Vol 23 (5) ◽  
pp. 508-523 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Stojanov ◽  
Ilan Kelman ◽  
Shawn Shen ◽  
Barbora Duží ◽  
Himani Upadhyay ◽  
...  

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to show how typologies for environmentally induced population movement need to be understood in a contextualised manner in order to be useful. Design/methodology/approach – This study interrogates some academic discourses concerning environmentally induced population movement. By analysing key environmental factors said to contribute to population movement, in addition to considering time factors, this study uses the case of Tuvalu to demonstrate overlapping categories and the importance of contextualisation. Findings – Current typologies provide a basis for considering a wide variety of motives for environmentally induced population movement, in relation to different drivers, motivations, time scales, and space scales. Yet contextualisation is required for policy and practice relevance. Research limitations/implications – All typologies have limitations. Any typology should be taken as a possible tool to apply in a particular context, or to support decision making, rather than presenting a typology as universal or as an absolute without dispute. Practical implications – Rather than disputes over typologies and definitions, bringing together different views without reconciling them, but recognising the merits and limitations of each, can provide a basis for assisting people making migration decisions. Originality/value – None of the typologies currently available applies to all contexts of environmentally induced population movement – nor should any single typology necessarily achieve that. Instead, it is important to thrive on the differences and to contextualise a typology for use.


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