Lean Manufacturing Implementation Using Value Stream Mapping: A Case study of Pumps Manufacturing Company

Lean manufacturing refers to a manufacturing improvement process based on the fundamental goal of Toyota production system (TPS). That is, to minimize or eliminate waste while maximizing production flow. Many manufacturing organizations realize the importance of practicing lean techniques. A value stream includes all the operations and processes to transform raw materials into finished goods or services, including non-value adding activities. Value stream mapping is a lean manufacturing tool to plan a production process involving lean initiatives through systematic data capture and analysis. It is a proven process for planning the improvements that will allow companies to develop lean practices. This tool has been used to document current lead time, inventory levels and cycle times to determine the ratio of value added to total lead time of the product line being analysed. The first step of value stream mapping is to create a current state map to make a picture of the production flow and understand the company's current cycle times, process communications, and machine equipment capacity. This provides the information needed to produce a future state map by creating a vision of an improved value flow. The goal is to identify and eliminate the waste, which is any activity that does not add value to the final product, in the production process.