LEAN MANUFACTURING

1. INTRODUCTION

General Electric India Industrial Pvt Ltd. Is major American

corporation and one of the largest and most-diversified corporations in
the world. Its products include electrical and electronic equipment,
aircraft engines, and financial services. Headquarters are in Boston.
Among its various plants in India, we got the opportunity to have the
internship in Pune Plant.

There it has the production for GE Aviation, GE Renewables, GE Gas

Power, Locomotives. Here I worked in Power for Project Bear where
there was production of Starter, Exciters, Distributed Control System
(DCS) and Turbine Control (TC) Panels which are actually connected
on Electrical sites/substations. I was basically trained on Distributed
Control System (DCS) department. These all are interconnected to each
other.

Other than production of the Control Panels we came to know about

various industrial concepts related to production like Lean,5S, Value
Stream Mapping (VSM), Kaizen (continuous Improvement), Poke Yoke
(Mistake Proofing), Operator Balancing Chart (Yamazumi).

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Siddhant College of Engineering
Department Of Mechanical Engineering
LEAN MANUFACTURING

Figure 1.1- Site Installation

1.1 Lean Manufacturing

Lean manufacturing is a production process based on an ideology of

maximizing productivity while simultaneously minimizing waste within
a manufacturing operation. The lean principle sees waste is anything
that doesn’t add value that the customers are willing to pay for. The
benefits of lean manufacturing include reduced lead times and operating
costs and improved product quality. The core principle in implementing
lean manufacturing is to eliminate waste to continually improve a
process. By reducing waste to deliver process improvements, lean
manufacturing sustainably delivers value to the customer. There are four
key benefits to lean manufacture:

 Eliminate Waste: Waste is a negative factor for cost, deadlines and

resources. It provides no value to products or services.
 Improve Quality: Improved quality allows companies to stay
competitive and meet the changing needs and wants of customers.
 Reducing Costs: Overproduction or having more materials than is
required creates storage costs, which can be reduced through better
processes and materials management.

 Reducing Time: Wasting time with inefficient working practices is a

waste of money too, while more efficient practices create shorter lead
times and allow for goods and services to be delivered faster

 The five core principles of lean manufacturing are defined as value, the
value stream, flow, pull and perfection. These are now used as the basis
to implement lean.

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Department Of Mechanical Engineering
LEAN MANUFACTURING

Principles of Lean

1. Value: Value is determined from the perspective of the customer and

relates to how much they are willing to pay for products or services. This
value is then created by the manufacturer or service provider who should
seek to eliminate waste and costs to meet the optimal price for the customer
while also maximizing profits.

2. Map the Value Stream: This principle involves analyzing the materials
and other resources required to produce a product or service with the aim of
identifying waste and improvements. The value stream covers the entire
lifecycle of a product, from raw materials to disposal. Each stage of the
production cycle needs to be examined for waste and anything that doesn’t
add value should be removed.

3. Create Flow: Creating flow is about removing functional barriers to

improve lead times. This ensures that processes flow smoothly and can be
undertaken with minimal delay or other waste. Interrupted and
disharmonious production processes incur costs and creating flow means
ensuring a constant stream for the production or service delivery.

4. Establish a Pull System: A pull system works by only commencing work

when there is demand. This is the opposite of push systems, which are used
in manufacturing resource planning (MRP) systems. Push systems determine
inventories in advance with production set to meet these sales or production
forecasts. A pull system only acts when there is demand and relies on
flexibility, communication and efficient processes to be successfully
achieved.

5. Perfection: The pursuit of perfection via continued process improvements

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Department Of Mechanical Engineering
LEAN MANUFACTURING

is also known as ‘Kaizen’ as created by Toyota Motor Corporation

founder Kiichiro Toyoda. Lean manufacturing requires ongoing
assessment and improvement of processes and procedures to continually
eliminate waste in an effort to find the perfect system for the value stream. It
is important for the culture of continuous improvement to filter through all
levels of an organization, from team members and project managers right up
to the executive level, to create a collective responsibility for improvement
and value creation.

The 8 Wastes of Lean Manufacturing

The Toyota Production System originally detailed seven wastes that don’t
provide value to the customer. These wastes were:

 Unnecessary transportation
 Excess inventory
 Unnecessary movement of people, equipment or machinery
 Waiting – either people or idle equipment
 Over-production of a product
 Over processing or adding unnecessary features to a product
 Defects that require costly correction
 Unused talent and ingenuity

An eighth waste has since been highlighted by many lean practitioners

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Siddhant College of Engineering
Department Of Mechanical Engineering
LEAN MANUFACTURING

1.2 5’S Methodology

5S is a system to reduce waste and optimize productivity through

maintaining an orderly workplace and using visual cues to achieve more
consistent operational results. Implementation of this method "cleans up"
and organizes the workplace basically in its existing configuration, and it is
typically the first lean method which organizations implement. 5S is a
cyclical methodology: sort, set in order, shine, standardize, sustain the cycle.
This results in continuous improvement.

5S was created in Japan, and the original “S” terms were in Japanese, so
English translations for each of the five steps may vary. The basic ideas and
the connections between them are easy to understand, though.

Table 1:

Step Name Japanese term Explanation

1. Sort Seiri (tidiness) Remove unnecessary items from each area
2.Set Organize and identify storage for efficient
Seiton (orderliness)
In Order use
3. Shine Seiso (cleanliness) Clean and inspect each area regularly
Seiketsu Incorporate 5S into standard operating
4.Standardize
(standardization) procedures
Assign responsibility, track progress, and
5. Sustain Shitsuke (discipline)
continue the cycle

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Department Of Mechanical Engineering
LEAN MANUFACTURING

These steps feed into each other, so the sequence is important.

Clearing out unnecessary materials in step 1 (Sort) will provide the space
needed to organize the important items in step 2 (Set In Order). Then, once
the work space is de- cluttered and organized, dirt and grime can be
removed in step 3 (Shine).

These changes to workers’ job duties and work environment should be

reflected in updated procedures through step 4 (Standardize). Finally, those
new procedures won’t amount to much unless responsibility is assigned and
progress is tracked — as required for step 5 (Sustain). And with
responsibility and tracking, workers will continue to apply the steps,
returning to step 1.

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Department Of Mechanical Engineering
LEAN MANUFACTURING

Figure 1.2- 5’S Standards

1.3 Value Stream Mapping

Value stream mapping is a lean manufacturing or lean enterprise technique
used to document, analyze and improve the flow of information or materials
required to produce a product or service for a customer.

A value stream map illustrates the flow of materials and information from
supplier to customer. Value stream mapping (VSM) is a lean manufacturing
technique used to analyze, design, and manage the flow of materials and
information required to bring a product to a customer. VSM helps identify
waste and streamline the production process.It consists of current state
mapping and future state mapping.

Figure 1.3- Value Stream

Mapping

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Department Of Mechanical Engineering
LEAN MANUFACTURING

Value Stream Mapping Steps

The first step in value stream mapping is to create a current state map. This
map can help identify waste such as delays, restrictions, inefficiencies, and
excess inventories. These are then eliminated in the ideal state map, which
gives the organization a working plan to achieve lean efficiency.

Value stream maps are most commonly used in lean manufacturing, but
identifying the value stream—the sequence of activities required to design,
produce, or provide goods and services to customers—is a beneficial
practice for any company in any industry. Value stream maps are used in
healthcare, software development, supply chain logistics, even government
and service industries. Regardless of industry, the main goal of a value
stream map is to visually record information such as:
 Work and wait times along each step in a process.
 Labor needs at individual work steps, including the identification of overtime,
if necessary.
 Error rates at individual work steps.
 Downtime at individual work steps.
 Inventory excess or shortfall.
 Production or process delays.

Value Stream Mapping Symbols and Components

A value stream map is made up of three distinct looking parts: a process

map, a corresponding timeline, and information flow. The process map is
comprised of the steps and the information associated with the steps of your
process. The timeline is there to show cycle times and differentiate between
value-added cycle times and non-value-added cycles times and help identify
waste. The information flow further explains the interaction and activity
between the stations of your value chain.

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Department Of Mechanical Engineering
LEAN MANUFACTURING

Figure 1.4 – Process of Value

Stream Mapping

There's usually also a box in the upper left corner of any value stream map
that lists the constants of the value stream map. You add the Demand, the
units per day that must be produced for instance, and the Hours, the time
available to get the work done, and the Takt, the rhythm required to do the
work.

Value stream mapping uses a set of unique symbols to visualize a process.

Process: A process is represented with a rectangle and the word "Process".

To make the value stream map more readable, a process will often represent
the collective processes of an entire department.

Inventor: A triangle with an "I" inside represents the exchange of inventory

during the process.

Shipment: A shipment of raw materials from suppliers are represented with

blank wide arrows. A pushing of materials from one step in the process to
another is usually marked with a black arrow with three white squares
inside. Shipments made using external suppliers is represented with a truck

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Department Of Mechanical Engineering
LEAN MANUFACTURING

or another vehicle where applicable such as boat or train.

Supplier and Customer: Suppliers and customers share the same symbol
that looks like an abstract, geometric representation of a factory. A supplier
usually will mark the beginning of a process and will be found to the left of
the value stream, while a customer is often found as the last step, to the far
right of the value stream map.

Electronic flow: A line with a zig-zag in the middle refers to electronic

information and data exchanges. While a lot of value stream mapping
focuses on raw materials and products, electronic exchanges should also be
examined because they can be the root of delays and waste.

Kaizen burst: A Kaizen burst, also known as a Kaizen blitz, refers to a

short burst of activity that solves a problem with intensity and urgency.
Appropriately, it's represented with what looks like a cartoon explosion.

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LEAN MANUFACTURING

1.4 Kaizen
Kaizen is an approach to creating continuous improvement based on the idea
that small, ongoing positive changes can reap significant improvements.
Typically, it is based on cooperation and commitment and stands in contrast
to approaches that use radical or top- down changes to achieve
transformation. Kaizen is core to lean manufacturing and the Toyota Way.

10 principles of Kaizen

Because executing Kaizen requires enabling the right mindset throughout a

company, 10 principles that address the Kaizen mindset are commonly
referenced as core to the philosophy. They are:

1. Let go of assumptions.

2. Be proactive about solving problems.

3. Don't accept the status quo.

4. Let go of perfectionism and take an attitude of iterative, adaptive change.

5. Look for solutions as you find mistakes.

6. Create an environment in which everyone feels empowered to contribute.

7. Don't accept the obvious issue; instead, ask "why" five times to get to the root
cause.

8. Cull information and opinions from multiple people.

9. Use creativity to find low-cost, small improvements.

10. Never stop improving.

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Siddhant College of Engineering
Department Of Mechanical Engineering
LEAN MANUFACTURING

Figure 1.5- Kaizen contents

Figure 1.6- Flow of continuous

improvement

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Siddhant College of Engineering
Department Of Mechanical Engineering
LEAN MANUFACTURING

2. PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION

2.1 Problem Statement

We had a lean workout in which we identified the various problems related
to process which were ultimately affecting our final products. The problems
were basically related to quality issue, Engineering issues, some were
process improvements, related to warehouse team and many other. This was
affecting our product delivery so we decided to had a value stream mapping
on our product.

First, we went with current state mapping what actual happens and how
much time it takes for complete. process. In this we calculated the value-
added time (cycle time) and non-value-added time (queue time/waiting
time). This helped us to decide our lead time for the current state.

Figure 2.1- Current State Mapping

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Siddhant College of Engineering
Department Of Mechanical Engineering
LEAN MANUFACTURING

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Siddhant College of Engineering
Department Of Mechanical Engineering
LEAN MANUFACTURING

Terms to be understand

Lead Time- Lead time is the amount of time that passes from the start of a
process until its conclusion. It consists of Value added and non-value-added
time.

Cycle Time- The cycle time is the amount of time it takes to complete a specific
task from start to finish. t is the time it takes to complete one task. This includes
time spent producing the item and the wait stages (amount of time the task is left
‘waiting’ on the board) between active work times.

Takt time- Takt time is the rate at which manufacturing processes and systems
need to complete the production in order to meet the customer's request. Therefore,
this is less of measuring the total time it takes to complete a segment or the entirety
of the production. Takt time measures the pace at which work must be done to
deliver what has been promised.
TAKT TIME= Available time
Customer Demand

Bottleneck process- A bottleneck in production is a point where an operation

meets or exceeds the capacity of the facility. In other words, the factory or
department can’t produce enough units fast enough to keep the rest of the production
schedule or other daily operations flowing at the same rate.

Keeping in mind these terms me calculated the cycle time for current state
for each operation and identified the bottleneck process in the entire
production. Next after overviewing the current state mapping, we were able
to identify the issues which can help us to reduce our cycle time. Some were
possible with the help of making kaizens, while some need the ME for
resolving the issues. This helped us to plan for future state mapping and we
were able to minimize the non-value-added time which was not worth for
the production.

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LEAN MANUFACTURING

Figure 2.2- Future State Mapping

Also, we worked on bottleneck process, had hourly monitoring board on

which we note down the issues faced in every hour and had a discussion and
come with every possible solution on it. This way we carried out VSM
workout and came out with current state mapping and future state mapping.

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Department Of Mechanical Engineering
LEAN MANUFACTURING

2.2 Scope/Expected Outcome

The current state VSM identifies the existing process flow, and allows your
team to analyze the related data to identify gaps in process and / or wastage
which can be streamlined for efficiencies. The future state VSM examines
the ideal of how your process should look and work. This is your
opportunity to shortcut the improvement cycle and get straight to exciting,
creative, disruptive solution mode.

The goal here is to produce a view of what the future state could be
and rely on improvements being defined through the observable gaps
between the current and future state.

Beyond ensuring you retain a balanced view to the components of your map
(customer, supplier, value delivery and monitoring and control) there is very little
prescribed structure to follow here.
With your current and future state maps firmly established, this must be underpinned
by a culture where learning, measuring, and improving is promoted. Mapping
processes and / or collecting data to identify inefficiencies is insufficient without the
right culture.

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Siddhant College of Engineering
Department Of Mechanical Engineering
LEAN MANUFACTURING

3.CONCLUSION

So, coming to end of our internship report, we had lots of learnings i.e. technical as
well as non-technical Also, it gave the knowledge about what actually happens in
industry, how the any product is produced/ manufactured.
How basically everything is managed properly in an industry starting with taking
orders from customers, managing and providing the material to build it and do every
possible thing to ship the finished good to the customer on promised date/time
without compromising quality of product and safety of the employee.
Lastly concluding that it was a great journey no matter what the duration was, but it
thought me lot many things which will help me in my personal as well as my
professional life in my upcoming future.
It was a great experience to work with the team who supported me to adapt new
learnings and helped me out to complete my internship successfully

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Siddhant College of Engineering
Department Of Mechanical Engineering
LEAN MANUFACTURING

4. REFERENCE BOOKS:

[1] KS Madhvan - 5S Workplace Excellence

[2] William M. Feld – Lean Manufacturing (Tools, Techniques and how to use them)

[3] J.Paulo Davim – Modern Manufacturing Engineering

[4] Online References:

 https://www.twi-global.com/technical-knowledge/faqs/faq-what-is-lean-
manufacturing#:~:text=Lean%20manufacturing%20is%20a%20production,-
are%20willing%20to%20pay%20for.

 https://www.5stoday.com/what-is-5s/

 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Value-stream_mapping

 https://www.gosiger.com/news/bid/180819/value-stream-mapping-in-7-steps

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