Dorota Stadnicka

Simple approach for Value Stream Mapping for business process analysis

In order to achieve fast deliveries via short lead times, companies have to look for different manufacturing possibilities. Inherently, Value Stream Mapping (VSM) aids in identifying waste in manufacturing processes as well as related business processes focusing on minimizing possible time wastages. There is a trade-off between costs vs. shorter manufacturing or overall lead time. The main challenge is the elimination of waste to shorten overall manufacturing or business process (BP) time and related costs. The VSM has been conventionally utilized for manufacturing process analysis. It is typically observed that personnel in industrial organizations trying to optimize the overall price and lead time focus only on manufacturing related waste reduction. There are significant wastages generated from overall BP, which also directly or indirectly influence lead time to move beyond the anticipated threshold limits. Hence, this manuscript puts effort into developing a simple approach for VSM for analyzing and investigating drawbacks in the overall BP. A case study has been performed in collaboration with an aircraft-spare-parts manufacturing firm (AMF). A simple approach has been developed using the case study to investigate the inefficiencies present in the quotation preparation process (QPP). In addition to the approach, the resulting current state map (CSM), future state map (FSM), lead time (LT), processing time (Tp), process cycle efficiency (PCE), value added activity improvement (VAI) and non-value added activity improvement (NVAI) have all been analyzed.

Development of a rule base and algorithm for a quotation preparation process: A case study with a VSM approach

Quotation preparation lead time plays a significant role in the aircraft components manufacturing (ACM) industry. This is especially due to the fact that on each occasion the sub-contracting suppliers have to manufacture component(s) of which they have no previous experience based on the external demand. The quotation preparation takes place between different actors once the request for a manufacturing proposal has been met. Also, a particular ACM organization investigates the potential capabilities of the selected sub-contracting manufacturers and their suppliers. The sub-contracting manufacturers have to select sub-suppliers to purchase necessary semi-finished goods and raw material to meet the anticipated quality requirements posed by the ACM organization. The waste in terms of time is significantly high due to the possible delays in data and information flow during the quotation preparation process (QPP). The time wastages are mainly caused by the delays within the same manufacturing organization between different functional units (i.e. internal time wastages) as well as between suppliers and the client (i.e. external time wastages). This manuscript suggests an approach with the help of tailor-made value stream mapping (VSM) to investigate the challenges and mitigate the delays caused during the QPP.

Deriving an empirical model for machinery prioritization: Mechanical systems maintenance

The maintenance of mechanical systems plays a significant role in production and manufacturing settings. In this context, prioritization of machinery is vital for minimizing the economic burden due to higher maintenance cost, loss of production, potential damage to health, safety and environment. Different production and/or manufacturing firms use different approaches to mitigate the aforementioned. These approaches are tailor-made to fit a selected production or manufacturing operation and the firms requirements, creating a difficulty in generalizing their utilization in a generic application. Hence, it is vital to analyze the existing models that have been used for the machinery prioritization and derive a generic model, enabling it to be utilized in a generic application. This manuscript illustrates a study carried out in three firms which utilize machinery for their production and/or manufacturing activities. The empirical models that have been employed for machinery prioritization by the aforementioned firms were analyzed and a generic empirical model has been derived. The empirical model has been validated by a randomly selected firm and one item of its machinery.

Performance enhancing in the manufacturing industry: An improvement KATA application

As manufacturing firms (MFs) experience increasing competition in the global economy, it is vital to seek competitive advantage through the continuous improvement of performance within manufacturing processes. This requires a systematic approach to enhance performance by engaging staff at all levels to effectively take part in performance-enhancing efforts. The implementation of Toyota Kata has been proven to be highly successful for continuous improvement in a MF. Toyota Kata provides a holistic system of methods for improving performance, which contains processes and behavioral patterns for strategically aligned goal setting, problem solving, coaching, management and training. It is a simple and human factor focused approach, which covers the management of performance improvement efforts. This manuscript presents a case study performed in a wooden frames manufacturing firm for the implementation of Improvement Kata. Lead time has been selected as the performance indicator. The study describes current challenges, Improvement Kata implementation methodology, and the lead time improvement results.

Information Management and Decision Making Supported by an Intelligence System in Kitchen Fronts Control Process

Measuring systems used for alternative control are the basis of the kitchen fronts acceptance. The assessment of such products is difficult. On the basis of the performed analysis, it can be said that different operators make different decisions that result in different problems in a case study manufacturing company. In the work, the authors propose a cyber-physical distributed computing infrastructure to implement performance metrics methods extended to manage the control system and to support the decisions concerning improvements in the control process. It will result in the minimization or avoidance of operators’ mistakes concerning the wrong acceptance or rejection of the finished product.

Enhancing performance in service organisations: a case study based on value stream analysis in the telecommunications industry

Performance-enhancing efforts in the manufacturing industry have centred on ‘lean’ principles and philosophies since the early 1970s. Lean principles, philosophies, tools and methods have also been significantly deployed to enhance performance in service processes within the manufacturing industry, as well as the process industry (e.g. inspection, maintenance and modification-related). It has been observed that when the main business is mostly centred on service-providing processes, significantly less effort is put into exploiting the use of lean approaches to enhance performance. Therefore, it is vital to investigate the potential of ‘lean’ concepts’ implementation in a service-providing organisation. This manuscript is based on the value stream mapping and the value stream analysis (VSA) performed in a Polish telecommunication-industry-related service-providing company. A plain old telephone services-based case study is presented. The service-providing process is analysed in order to identify the current existing drawbacks and to propose improvements to enhance performance. Based on the current state value stream map and the VSA results, a future state value stream map was developed. Then, process efficiency was calculated in order to assess the level of performance improvement.

Analysis of the Legal Risk in the Scientific Experiment of the Machining of Magnesium Alloys

In the article, the legal risk of the researcher in the case of a scientific experiment in the machining of magnesium alloys was determined. The use of magnesium alloys in industry and identification of the problems associated with machining were presented. The issues concerning legal liability in the experiment and provisions ensuring a greater scope of legal protection for the researcher were indicated and challenges in the machining of magnesium alloys were analyzed. Moreover, the method to assess legal risk in experiments was proposed and its application in the experiments was presented. The analysis confirmed the applicability of the proposed method to the analysis of the legal risk.

Overall Equipment Effectiveness: Analysis of Different Ways of Calculations and Improvements

An Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) indicator is one of the most often used indicators, especially in large companies, to assess the level of the successful utilization of equipment. Many companies still do not calculate OEE, although the procedure of the OEE calculation is well known. On the basis of the literature review and from companies practice, it occurs that different methods of the OEE assessment are used. It is because companies identify different disturbances which influence the OEE value. The authors summarized these disturbances. In the paper, two case studies concerning the OEE calculations from manufacturing companies are presented. On the basis of the first company, it is shown how the Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) implementation may improve the value of OEE. On the base of the other company, the way the OEE calculation procedure can be improved and the results of the calculation procedure modification are presented. Finally, the authors propose to introduce weights to differentiate the influence of different OEE components. The results of the new procedure implementation are presented in the paper.

Development of additional indicators for quotation preparation performance management: VSM-based approach

Purpose The calculation of quotations has been proven to be an extremely challenging matter in customized manufacturing requirements. There are significant wastages, which are attributed to activities related to the quotation preparation process (QPP) and their influence on an offer of delivery time to a customer. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to develop a tailor-made value stream mapping (VSM) approach, combined with a set of performance indicators for QPP performance measurement and management, to decrease the lead time of QPP. Design/methodology/approach Current and future state value stream maps have been developed to measure the performance of QPP. To minimize the weaknesses of the cycle efficiency indicator, additional indicators, assessing improvements to value- and non-value-added activities, external interested parties’ influence on lead time, etc., have been developed for QPP performance management. To illustrate the usefulness of the proposed indicators, a case study has been performed. Findings Only when all appropriate indicators are calculated than we have the whole overview of the current and future state in a QPP. Research limitations/implications The proposed indicators were used only in one case study. If they are used in different case studies from different companies and operating in different industries, it will be possible to discover whether the presented indicators are enough to fully understand the analyzed process. Practical implications The proposed methodology is ready to be used in industry practice. Originality/value The presented VSM methodology, combined with a set of performance indicators for QPP, provides the originality of the work.

Minimization of Fuel Consumption in a Logistic Company: Implementation of Six Sigma and Drivers’ Skills Management with the Use of Fuzzy Logic

Considering logistics management plays a very important role in costs generating. There are different kinds of costs. One significant kind of costs is connected to fuel consumption. Logistic companies try to implement different solutions in order to decrease this cost. This work presents the implementation of a six sigma project to identify important factors which influence fuel consumption. Based on the performed analysis, we know that one of the most important factors is a human factor. Therefore, in the second part of the paper the authors present an analysis which explains how, with the use of fuzzy logic, a company can identify drivers who should be trained to improve their skills. As a result it allows to minimize fuel consumption.