Bernardo Villarreal

The transportation value stream map (TVSM)

Value stream mapping had its origin in the material and information flow diagrams developed originally in Toyota. They were used to identify sources of waste in the manufacturing area and eliminate them. This has already been extended to help in the design of improvement programmes oriented to eliminate waste in logistics and service operations. In this work it is adapted to support efficiency improvement programmes in the transport operations environment. A new value stream map and an efficiency measure for transport operations are proposed. Its application to the distribution operations of a Mexican firm is provided. [Submitted 13 February 2010; Revised 15 October 2010; Accepted 04 November 2010].

Lean and green in the transport and logistics sector – a case study of simultaneous deployment

Abstract The transport and logistics sector is of vital importance for the stimulation of trade and hence the economic development of nations. However, over the last few years, this sector has taken central stage in the green agenda due to the negative environmental effects derived from its operations. Several disciplines including operations research and sub-areas of supply chain management such as green supply chains, green logistics and reverse logistics have tried to address this problem. However, despite the work undertaken through these disciplines, theoretical or empirical research into the sequential or simultaneous deployment of the lean and green paradigms, particularly, in the road transport and logistics sector is limited. This paper presents a case study where both paradigms have been combined to improve the transport operations of a world leader logistics organisation in the metropolitan area of Monterrey, Mexico. To do this, a systematic methodology and a novel tool called Sustainable Transportation Value Stream Map (STVSM) were proposed. The results obtained from the case study indicate that the concurrent deployment of the green and lean paradigms through such methodology and the STVSM tool is an effective approach to improve both operational efficiency and environmental performance of road transport operations. The paper can be used as a guiding reference for transport and logistics organisations to undertake improvement projects similar to the one presented in this paper. Additionally, this research also intends to stimulate scholarly research into the application of lean and green paradigms in the transport and logistics sector to expand the limited research pursued in this area.

Lean road transportation – a systematic method for the improvement of road transport operations

Abstract Road transportation has become an important factor in international trade and the management of supply chains. However, this form of product logistics has generally been considered inefficient. Traditionally, practical inefficiencies of road transportation have been addressed through mathematical modelling, operations research-based methods and simulation. This paper presents an alternative systematic approach to improve road transport operations based on lean thinking and the reduction of the seven transportation extended wastes. To do this, the paper reviews the extant literature in the area of lean road transportation, providing a structured research definition of the application of lean thinking in road transport operations and hence guidance on the limited research conducted in this field. The systematic lean transportation method is then presented and empirically tested through a case study in a Mexican firm. The results obtained from the case study indicate that the proposed systematic lean method is an effective alternative for the improvement of road transport operations, with the number of distribution routes and distance travelled being reduced by 27 and 32%, respectively. The proposed method can be used by organisations as a guide to help them improve their road transport operations. In addition, the paper’s aim is to contribute by stimulating scholars to further study the application of lean thinking and waste reduction in road transport operations.

Improving road transport operations through lean thinking: a case study

ABSTRACT Traditionally, logistics and transportation problems have been addressed through mathematical modelling, operations research, and simulation, but criticism has emerged about their effectiveness to actually address real-life problems. This paper documents a case study whereby the road transport operations of a leading Mexican brewery were improved through lean thinking and waste reduction. Two lean-based principles and tools were combined: the Seven Transportation Extended Wastes and Transportation Value Stream Mapping. Three systematic steps were proposed to facilitate the implementation of improvement. Feasibility studies conducted in this research suggested that lean thinking is an effective alternative for the improvement of road transport operations. The findings of this research could be used as guidance for transport managers to improve road transport operations. This paper also expands the limited evidence of the application of lean thinking in road transport logistics and highlights the research areas where its application has been concentrated in this sector.

A lean thinking and simulation-based approach for the improvement of routing operations

Purpose: The improvement of routing operations performance has been of great concern for organisations. This has led to the development of alternative lean-based methods, however the literature research on the applications of lean thinking in the transportation sector is still considered rather limited. Therefore, this paper presents a lean thinking and simulation-based approach to improve the efficiency of warehousing and routing operations. Design/Methodology/Approach: The paper reviews the existing literature in the area of lean transportation and then presents and applies a novel approach to improve the vehicle routing operations of a Mexican firm. The proposed approach suggests the classification of wastes into those relevant to transport operations, their identification through a Transportation Value Stream Mapping (TVSM) study, and the use of the Transportation Overall Vehicle Effectiveness (TOVE) index for the measure of the overall performance of the transport operations. Findings: The results obtained from the case study indicate that the proposed approach is an effective alternative for the improvement of vehicle routing operations as the number of routes decreased from 30 to 22 and the distance travelled by 32%. Similarly, the average number of clients served by each route increased by 23% as well as the TOVE index increased from 6.9% to 19.3%. The TOVE component measures of vehicle performance and operating availability efficiencies also increased significantly while quality issues, in the form of number of customers not served per route, were reduced from 6 to 0. Originality/value: The improvement of routing operations performance has been traditionally addressed through operations research and mathematical modelling approaches. This paper presents an alternative and novel lean thinking and simulation-based approach to improve the efficiency of routing operations.

Achieving competitiveness through setup time reduction

This paper has the purpose of describing the efforts of a Mexican company with several galvanizing lines, located in Monterrey, Mexico, to diminish setup time. The firms operations strategy requires a better performance of the plant in terms of line capacity utilization, more productivity and quicker response to markets orders. The setup reduction project set to obtain those goals was organized to attack two fronts; The reduction of the time per setup, and the decrease of the number of setups.

A lean transportation approach for improving emergency medical operations.

Abstract This paper extends the approach of Lean transportation to improve the performance of emergency medical processes (EMP) by adapting its main concepts into the main characteristics of the EMP environment. The paper is based on an inductive theory-building process initiated from a case study in the field of emergency medical services. The development of the suggested performance improvement approach triggered from an exhaustive analysis of a process involved and an exploratory review of the existing improvement approaches available. The process of concern can be described as a specialized transportation process, where human lives are at risk. Its characteristics led to a natural application of Lean transportation. The results include, a novel approach for improving the agility and efficient EMS processes. This is validated with an application for improving ambulance response times and turnaround times of the Red Cross operations located in Monterrey, Mexico. The approach proved to be an integrated scheme for identifying waste opportunities at a systems level. This characteristic is important to let operations management prioritize improvement efforts in a limited budget situation. This work suggests the application of the emerging Lean transportation approach for increasing the agility performance of EMS processes.

A lean-TOC approach for improving Emergency Medical Services (EMS) transport and logistics operations

ABSTRACT The improvement of transport and logistics performance of Emergency Medical Services (EMSs) systems has been mainly addressed through mathematical modelling, operations research, and simulation methods. This paper proposes an alternative and/or complementary improvement approach based on the adaptation and simultaneous deployment of lean thinking and Theory of Constraint (TOC) methods and tools. The paper briefly reviews key aspects of the application of lean in the logistics and healthcare industries and conceptually develops the proposed lean-TOC approach. The approach is then tested, through an individual detail case study, in the EMS transport and logistic system of the Red Cross operating in the metropolitan area of Monterrey, Mexico. The results obtained from the case study suggest that the proposed systematic lean-TOC approach may be an effective alternative and/or complement to mathematical modelling, operations research, and simulation methods to improve EMS transport and logistics operations.

Reducing inbound transportation costs: An application

This work describes the strategy of a leading Mexican food firm to improve its inbound transportation cost level. This is based on the application of a broad scheme for identifying and assessing areas for improving based on supplier negotiation, increasing operations efficiency and redesigning distribution schemes. The partial results of the implementation of the improvement initiatives have been important for the company, and some are still in progress.

A scheme to achieve distribution agility

This work describes a suggested scheme to define a distribution strategy to increase the level of agility for a distribution network. This is based on the application of a scheme for increasing efficiency in the distribution operations on a detailed level. The Total Operational Vehicle Effectiveness (TOVE) index is used as the main performance measure. Availability, performance and quality wastes are identified using a Transportation Value Stream Map (TVSM) of the transportation operation. The implementation of the improvement initiatives is still in progress but the projected and available results are provided.