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| Cellular Manufacturing OverviewFebruary 2, 2004 Customers demand variety and customization as well as specific quantities delivered at specific times; a lean producer must remain flexible enough to serve its customers' needs. Cellular manufacturing allows companies to provide their customers with the right product at the right time. It does this by grouping similar products into families that can be processed on the same equipment in the same sequence. To successfully maintain "one piece flow" in their manufacturing cells, companies employ quick changeover techniques. A
cell is a group of workstations, machines or equipment arranged such that a
product can be processed progressively from one workstation to another without
having to wait for a batch to be completed and without additional handling
between operations. Cells may be dedicated to a process, a sub-component, or an
entire product. Integral to the manufacturing operations of a lean
producer, cells are conducive to single-piece and one-touch manufacturing
methods. Cells
may be designed for administrative as well as manufacturing operations. Cellular
manufacturing is an approach that helps build a variety of products with as
little waste as possible. Equipment and workstations are arranged in a sequence
that supports a smooth flow of materials and components through the process,
with minimal transport or delay. Cellular manufacturing can help make your
company more competitive by cutting out costly transport and delay, shortening
the production lead time, saving factory space that can be used for other
value-adding purposes, and promoting continuous improvement by forcing the
company to address problems that block just-in-time (JIT) production. A
work cell is a work unit larger than an individual machine or workstation but
smaller than the usual department. Typically, it has 3-12 people
and 5-15 workstations in a compact arrangement. An ideal cell manufactures a
narrow range of highly similar products. Such an ideal cell is self-contained
with all necessary equipment and resources. Cellular layouts organize
departments around a product or a narrow range of similar products. Materials
sit in an initial queue when they enter the department. Once processing begins,
they move directly from process to process (or sit in mini-queues). The result
is very fast throughput. Communication is easy since every operator is close to
the others. This improves quality and coordination. Proximity and a common
mission enhance teamwork. The
benefits of cellular manufacturing include: ·
WIP reduction ·
Space utilization ·
Lead time reduction ·
Productivity improvement ·
Quality improvement ·
Enhanced teamwork and communication ·
Enhanced flexibility and visibility Click here to subscribe to our free e-newsletter Learning to Lean and receive three articles like this one each month. About
the Author David McBride is co-founder of EMS Consulting Group (http://www.emsstrategies.com), a Carlsbad, CA based engineering and management consulting firm. David has a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Ohio State University. He has a successful track record in the development and implementation of FMEA and Design for Manufacturability programs at several organizations and has greatly reduced Manufacturing costs through the utilization of Lean Manufacturing, Kaizen Events, and Manufacturing System Analysis. He has also been highly successful at developing and executing New Product Introduction processes, and Staffing and Capital Equipment Plans. To contact David about this article, send an e-mail to davidm@emsstrategies.com. | |||||||||||||||||
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