Production system improvement : floor area reduction and cycle time analysis

Abstract

A medical device company challenged a research team to reduce the manufacturing floor space required for an occlusion system product by one third. The team first cataloged equipment location and size, detailed the processes to make the product, and created a model for prototyping designs. The model allowed for multiple proposals of designs to the stakeholders without disrupting the line. The team implemented the new floor layout on August 3, 2012. The layout reduced the footprint by the required one third, removed the waste of extra space and maintenance time. The design was also the lowest cost design for the company. Further suggestions for future reduction in space are also included. The team was given the additional challenge of improving the manufacturing of the product. My particular focus was to analyze the cycle time. First definitions were given to provide criteria for analyzing different reductions. Processes that were the longest in each subassembly, or bottleneck processes, were specifically analyzed to reduce their process time or delay time. Technical updates to reduce touch time and delay time for other major processes were also considered. Suggestions for future work are included to reduce the production time. Information regarding the other concentrations, manpower allocation, parts inventory optimization, and visual management, will be found in the other team members' individual theses. [1] [2] [3]