Host: The Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers
Name : [in Japanese]
Date : September 15, 2021 - September 17, 2021
The lean experts have defined 7 types of wastes in an industry, i.e., inventory, overproduction, process, rework, waiting, transport, and unnecessary motion. In this study, the researchers have focused primarily on 2 kinds of wastes, i.e., inventory and transport wastes. A company can face 2 major issues, where they have an insufficient storing capacity and possess a higher moving time of their sub-assembly components. Lean Manufacturing (LM) is used as a common solution for eliminating wastes in industries. The researchers have presented an example of a door hardware casting company, operating in Malaysia, which used the First In First Out (FIFO) design as a solution for improving their storage capacity and decreasing the moving time of their sub-assembly components. They implemented the PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Action) approach, and used LM tools like the Ishikawa diagram and 5S, for further assisting the FIFO system. The researchers aimed to investigate the existing system implemented in the company warehouse, and thereafter design and implement an effective FIFO system for solving the issues affecting the warehouse. Here, the researchers primarily investigated the sub-assembly components that were used in the indoor warehouse. Before they implemented the FIFO design, they studied the actual situation in the company warehouse using methodologies like brainstorming sessions, observation, semi-structured interviews, and referencing secondary sources. They proposed the new FIFO system and redesigned the warehouse. The design tools that were included were the Morphological Charts, concept screening and concept scoring. A new Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) was proposed. Thereafter, the FIFO system was verified and validated by comparing the results before and after its implementation. The use of the FIFO system helps in increasing the storage capacity and decreasing the moving time of the sub-assembly components. This further helps in decreasing the inventory and transportation wastes.
