Application of Lean Manufacturing System to Improve Production Process: A Case Study of a Steel Pipe Manufacturing Company

Abstract

The objective of this research was to improve the steel pipe production process of the case study manufacturing company. The Lean Manufacturing System concept was applied to increase the operation efficiency by eliminating wastes generated in the production process. Initially, the value stream mapping technique and the process flow chart were used to analyse and identify the wastes incurred in the current production process. It was found that the current total production lead time was 5,265.7 minutes (~11 days), while the total process time was only 1,865 minutes (~4 days). Non-value added activities (NVA) were noted, including unnecessary movement, waiting, transportation as well as overproduction. The root causes of these wastes were then analysed through the Why-Why Analysis. Subsequently, lean tools were introduced to improve the production process. ECRS technique was applied to reduce the lead time and eliminate unnecessary movement and transportation activities. Besides, the principle of batch size reduction was suggested to reduce the waiting time and work-in-process. The wastes of overproduction and excess inven-tory could also be eliminated. The manufacturer was noted to exhibit flexibility, with quick adjustment capability, to effectively meet uncertain customer demand. Four activities of the production process were indeed eliminated. The total production lead time decreased by 3,126 minutes (or 59.37 per cent). NVA activities were eliminated from the production process, with the process cycle efficiency increased by 42.47 per cent.