value stream mapping

Lean Value stream Mapping is used to identify the desired customer outcomes, provide value to the product by the employment of value stream, from end to end, through analyzing all the entities that are used in building the product. Lean means to create more value for customers with just enough resources thus optimizing the whole process cycle and adding to customer success.

The lean principles respond to changing customer desires and also provide high quality, low cost and faster throughput times. Lean principles eliminate waste along entire value streams thus creating processes that require less human investment, time and effort to come up with products and services at far less costs and with much fewer defects compared with conventional business systems.[1]

A value stream includes both the value added and non-value added actions that are required to bring a product through the main flows essential to very product. The value stream mapping perspective works on the big picture of the production cycle, not just the individual process, thus improving the process at micro level and macro level.

Value Stream Mapping (VSM) can be defined as special type of flow chart that uses symbols known as "the language of Lean" to depict and improve the flow of inventory and information[1].

2. History and Evolution of Lean Manufacturing

In the 15th century, ‘lean thinking’ was introduced in Arsenal, Venice, but Henry Ford was the first person to integrate a complete production process. In 1913 Michigan, interchangeable parts with standard work to create flow production. The company used special purpose machines to assemble and manufacture the components on the line directly. The first model manufactured by Ford was limited to one co...

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... use of a technique called autonomation (or jidoka). The implementation of cellular manufacturing requires the worker to shift his responsibilities from working on a single machine, to overlook and managing multiple machines on the shop production floor at the same time. The worker may also be freed from loading and unloading process and the focus shifts to implementing productive maintenance and process improvements.

The system requires companies to manufacture products based on predicted customer demand, rather than the real demand. This is because of the lag-time associated with manufacturing products by batch and queue technique. In many cases the system is very inefficient and wasteful. This is mainly due to substantial WIP, placed on hold when other functional teams ready their units. Figure below captures flow of production in a batch and queue