Standard Work for High Mix Low Volume Manufacturing

Abstract

This thesis examines the challenges of developing standard work at scale in a high-mix low-volume (HMLV) manufacturing environment. The research is conducted at Re:Build Composite Resources, a thermoset composites (TSC) manufacturer. In the context of the company, impending growth demands more skilled laminators and the manual, complex nature of TSC lamination exposes the need for improved and documented standard procedures. By documenting existing processes through operator shadowing, time studies, and quality data analysis a “best-known” standard was created for the production steps of a subset of parts. Two pilot parts—one focused on cutting scrap rates, the other on boosting throughput—demonstrated how standard work instructions and a standard work schedule designed for one-piece flow significantly reduced errors and production variability. The thesis also explores the effectiveness and limitations of using computer vision as a tool to automate work instruction and time study data set generation. Beyond the immediate improvements in quality, efficiency, and new operator onboarding, the project’s scalable framework lays out a roadmap for broader adoption of standard work in fast-growing HMLV operations. By focusing first on parts that yield the most significant gains — either due to high volume or high unit cost — organizations can maximize returns on continuous-improvement efforts while not overburdening their engineering staff with excess analysis and documentation.