Case study on identification and elimination of waste through lean implementation in an automotive part manufacturing industry

Lean manufacturing is an operational strategy oriented towards achieving the shortest possible throughput time by eliminating wastes (Muda). The research investigation addresses the application of lean manufacturing in an auto part manufacturer which manufactures critical components of an IC engine. The main objective of this research investigation was to identify key areas of non-value added activities by utilising 'value stream mapping' (VSM) and then to propose required changes to reduce throughput time based on the principles of lean manufacturing. Three different improvements were suggested as solutions for non-value added activities that were identified in the current state map, which accounted for 250 hrs of throughput time. A reduction of 140 hrs in the throughput time was estimated by incorporating the improvements.