LEAN REMANUFACTURING: A CELLULAR CASE STUDY

This paper documents the basic manufacturing philosophies and methodologies utilized for the design and implementation of a Lean Manufacturing remanufacture cell. Remanufacture deals with overhauling or reworking products that have been in service and need modification in order to continue to be serviceable. This remanufacturing cell implementation is the first cell of an eighteen-cell manufacturing and remanufacturing system. A systematic detailed case study is utilized as a Lean Production example and proves the flexibility of Lean Manufacturing to be adaptive while being cost effective in the remanufacture arena. This study provides key insights into a concept and strategy for implementing Lean Production thinking — cellular manufacturing. Most factories need significant assistance in understanding how to make Lean Production work; this paper provides many insights into both the theory and application of cellular manufacturing/assembly systems for remanufacture.