Waste reduction by implementation of CNC machining center and Lean Manufacturing

Abstract

Abstract In the context of increasing competitiveness, the companies from manufacturing industry are constrained to provide quality products at a lower price and a shorter delivery time. This brings new challenges during the manufacturing process. One of the main challenges is to reduce or eliminate waste during the production stage. The actual paper presents methods and solutions through which the waste from the manufacturing process is identified and eliminated. As a consequence, increased productive efficiency and higher profit have been gained. The objective of this study is to implement Lean manufacturing tools, in order to improve the production process carried out within a manufacturing company, with a small manufacturing batch. Based on real data from the manufacturing process, the current value stream mapping (VSM) was built, identifying both operational and non-operational times. After waste identification, an optimal solution was chosen for the manufactured parts required by the customer. Implementing the best solution resulted in a productive efficiency increase by 90.93%, which significantly reduces the manufacturing time.