| Value Stream Mapping (VSM) is a method of visually mapping your
products production path, both material and information, from door to door. This
valuable tool is one of the items within the Lean
Manufacturing Workshop.
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Why develop a Value Stream Map? Here is a list of the benefits
you can expect to receive from a VSM:
VSM Benefits
- Visually identifies sources of waste in order to eliminate them
- Assists in reducing inventories; raw materials, in-process & finished goods
- Provides a common language for discussing processes
- Improves quality by encouraging 100% inspection at the source
- Shows the linkage between information flow and production
- Shows how lean concepts and techniques can be linked together
- Forms the basis of an implementation plan
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| To develop a future VSM is to develop a production strategy for the
future. The first step is to know where you currently are by reviewing of all of
the steps your product goes through using your current manufacturing process.
This includes everything, even the obvious time wasting steps such as long distance
transportation of batches and large inventories of raw materials, work in progress
and finished goods. The collection of data is performed by a VSM team consisting
of a wide variety of staff; people from the production floor as well as the office.
The information collected in this "as is" picture of the company's processes is
immortalized in the current VSM. It is essential to make the current VSM so that
you may calculate your saving when implementing any changes. Employing an attitude
of continuous improvement, a future VSM is produced to act as a guild to reducing
the wasted time and effort that is identified in your product. Projects that will
make the changes toward the future VSM are listed with responsibility for each project
assigned. Project assignment should be evenly distributed throughout the VSM project team.
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| With the future VSM in hand, desired changes in the manufacturing
techniques and programs such as JIT, Principles of 5S,
Kanban and Manufacturing Cells can be planned and training
can begin. Changes to the floor layout are finalized and an implementation date
for the first change is established. The speed of the changeover to the new VSM
is entirely up to you. It is not required, and in most cases, not recommended that
the future VSM become reality all at once. Rather, it is best to gradually establish
the new elements of the VSM in a planned and orderly manner over several months
so that your workers will be able to adjust to the new systems and work out any
problems that may occur. This is best handled using Kaizen
Blitzes.
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| It is not uncommon to realize 50 - 70% reduction in
processing time. Combine this with labour & material savings and you will
find the VSM process is something that will pay for itself in a very short time.
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