Eileen M. Van Aken

Utilising Simulation to Enhance Value Stream Mapping: A Manufacturing Case Application

Value stream mapping is prescribed as part of the lean production portfolio of tools and has been applied in a variety of industries. This paper describes an application of value stream mapping, enhanced by simulation, to a dedicated product line in an engineer-to-order motion control products manufacturing plant. This paper makes two primary contributions: an application of value stream mapping in an actual setting and the use of simulation to answer questions that could not be addressed only using the static view provided by value steam mapping. This paper describes both the current state and the future state for the product line, as well as the analysis and results obtained from simulation. We conclude with a discussion of future research and applications in this area.

EQUIPMENT REPLACEMENT DECISIONS AND LEAN MANUFACTURING

Traditional manufacturing systems are built on the principle of economies of scale. Here, the large fixed costs of production are depreciation-intensive because of huge capital investments made in high-volume operations. These fixed costs are spread over large production batch sizes in an effort to minimize the total unit costs of owning and operating the manufacturing system. As an alternative to ‘‘batch-and-queue,’’ high-volume, and inflexible operations, the principles of the Toyota Production System (TPS) and lean manufacturing have been widely adopted in recent years in the US [1–4]. In this paper, we illustrate an equipment replacement decision problem within the context of lean manufacturing implementation. In particular, we demonstrate how the value stream mapping (VSM) suite of tools can be used to map the current state of a production line and design a desired future state. Further, we provide a roadmap for how VSM can provide necessary information for analysis of equipment replacement decision problems encountered in lean manufacturing implementation. r 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Learning From Less Successful Kaizen Events: A Case Study

Abstract: This paper describes results from an ongoing research program focused on identifying determinants of Kaizen event effectiveness, both in terms of initial event outcomes and the sustainability of outcomes. Although anecdotal published accounts suggest that increasing numbers of companies are using Kaizen events, and that these projects can result in substantial improvement in key business metrics, there is a lack of systematic research on Kaizen events. A particular weakness of the current published accounts is the lack of attention to less successful events – only strongly successful applications of Kaizen events receive much coverage in the accounts; however, the organizational learning literature suggests that understanding less successful cases is a key component of organizational learning. We present a case study from a less successful Kaizen event to demonstrate how the case study event contributed to organizational learning. We also present a set of methods and measures that can be used by practicing engineering managers and engineering management researchers to evaluate and analyze Kaizen event performance. The implications of the case study event for the current body of knowledge on Kaizen events are also examined, and, finally, directions for future research are described.

Kaizen events and organizational performance: a field study

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe the application of an assessment methodology to empirically measure and evaluate the impact of kaizen events on organizational performance, including human resource outcomes.Design/methodology/approach – A field study of two kaizen events held within a single organization utilizing both quantitative (survey) and qualitative (interviews and organizational documents) data was conducted. Sustainability of outcomes was also studied.Findings – This study empirically illustrates that, even within a single organization, kaizen events may have varied success. Management support was found to be related to human resource outcomes. Positive attitudes at the conclusion of a successful event, however, did not automatically translate to sustained improvements. Additionally, the kaizen event team with a more limited scope was better able to meet targeted business objectives.Originality/value – The methodology described can assess the impact of kaizen events on business ...

Assessing maturity and effectiveness of enterprise performance measurement systems

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe and illustrate an application of a tool for assessing the maturity and effectiveness of enterprise performance measurement systems.Design/methodology/approach – Assessment elements were defined based on the literature, and the scoring approach was designed based on performance excellence frameworks such as Baldrige and EFQM. A research case application in a Belgian public sector organization is used to illustrate how the tool can be used and the types of insights generated.Findings – The case application indicates that the tool can be used to generate useful and actionable feedback for leadership to increase the maturity of enterprise performance measurement systems. The tool can also be used to longitudinally track progress in performance measurement system effectiveness.Research limitations/implications – The current paper represents the pilot application of the tool. Future work is needed to further test and refine the tool, refine the assessment proce...

Development and application of a worker assignment model to evaluate a lean manufacturing cell

In lean manufacturing environments, cross-training is often used to achieve multi-skilling in order to increase flexibility in meeting fluctuating demand, to create a shared sense of responsibility, and to balance workload between cross-trained workers. This paper presents a model that assigns workers to tasks within a lean manufacturing cell while minimizing net present cost. In determining how to assign workers to tasks, the model addresses production requirements to meet customer demand, skill depth requirements for tasks, varying quality levels based on skill depth, and job rotation to retain skills for a cross-trained workforce. The model generates an assignment of workers to tasks and determines the training necessary for workers to meet skill requirements for tasks and customer demand. While the model can be used in a number of ways, in this paper it is used to generate a worker assignment schedule for cross-trained workers in a dedicated lean manufacturing cell in an electronics assembly plant and to evaluate the effect of increased cross-training on the cell. The resulting worker assignment schedules for the current state and several alternative scenarios for the cell are evaluated using cost results from the optimization model and from a simulation model to assess additional performance metrics. These results demonstrate the usefulness of the worker assignment model and indicate that moderate increases from current cross-training levels are not beneficial for this cell.

A Multilevel Framework for Lean Product Development System Design

Abstract: Organizations today face intense and growing pressure to reduce cost, decrease time to market, and maximize stakeholder value in product development (PD). Many organizations have adopted lean product development (LPD) methods in an attempt to improve their PD systems; however, despite two decades of research, there is still much less understanding of the characteristics of effective LPD systems than of effective lean manufacturing systems. LPD systems are complex systems involving multiple organizational levels; however, most LPD research to date has focused only on a single level. There is currently a lack of understanding of the interactions between levels and effective means for managing these interactions. In this article, we propose a multilevel framework designed to capture key LPD system principles at the functional, project, and portfolio levels; tools and practices for implementing principles at each level; and approaches for managing the interactions between levels. A longitudinal case study is used to expand and refine a conceptual framework developed through literature review. Future research should focus on further validating the framework and applying the framework to improve LPD system design.

A framework for designing, managing, and improving Kaizen event programs

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to introduce a framework for the design and management of a Kaizen event program where short‐term improvement projects (Kaizen events) are systematically used to introduce rapid change in targeted work areas, often relying on lean work system principles.Design/methodology/approach – To develop the framework and the assessment approach, a comprehensive literature review and a field study of Kaizen event programs in three organizations were conducted. To illustrate the potential usefulness of the framework and the assessment approach, this paper presents a case study of how the framework was applied to design and improve a Kaizen event program in the Belgian Armed Forces.Findings – Use of the framework as a design and assessment tool appeared to make the Kaizen event program more effective in the case study organization. Specific areas of improvement identified included: clearly defining event goals, scheduling extended follow‐up activities, defining measures to track ...

Conceptual design of performance measurement and management systems using a structured engineering approach

Purpose – To provide and illustrate a structured engineering approach for conceptual design of enterprise performance measurement and management systems.Design/methodology/approach – The paper proposes and utilizes a design approach based on combining an enterprise engineering process with a system dynamics (SD) modeling methodology. A research case application in a call center using real data serves as an illustration of these ideas.Findings – This proposed approach provided clear guidance through all the steps of the research case developed. When compared to traditional alternatives, it especially enhanced considerations pertaining to causality relationships among performance metrics, both in a qualitative as well as in a quantitative way.Originality/value – The explicit combination of enterprise engineering and SD methods creates new research and application opportunities. From a research perspective it establishes a framework for dealing with performance from a systems life‐cycle perspective as well a...

Enabling team wellness: monitoring and maintaining teams after start‐up

Describes a methodology to monitor and maintain team wellness, focused on critical team processes to sustain teams after launching. The approach includes a structured assessment tool to measure team member perceptions of critical team processes, selection and implementation of improvement initiatives guided by graphical portrayal of assessment results, and re‐assessment of team processes to measure impact of initiatives. Illustrates this approach and associated assessment and portrayal tools through an application with two work teams in a telecommunications company. This approach provides a structured method for monitoring team wellness, or health, which can complement business results‐focused measures of a team’s performance.