Design and implementation of a continuous improvement framework for an organic photovoltaic panels manufacturer

Abstract

The MIT MEng Team worked at Konarka Technologies, the world leader organic photovoltaic panels (OPV) manufacturer, on several improvement projects. The concentration was on operations improvement as well as production information tracking and analysis. This thesis report, however, focuses primarily on the implementation of a continuous improvement culture. Tools to implement the SS methodology, such as 5S Audit, Kaizen board and Kanban board, were provided, and operators were trained. A layout improvement solution was developed, and a plan for implementation recommended. The new layout was designed to increase visual control of the processes and to reduce movement of material by 85%. Each phase of the project went through review and discussion to encourage operator involvement in order to develop a continuous improvement culture.