DAFFODIL INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY
Faculty of Science and Information Technology
Department of Textile Engineering
Thesis paper on
IMPLEMENTATION OF LEAN MANUFACTURING TO INCREASE PRODUCTIVITY IN
GARMENTS MANUFACTURING PROCESS FOCUSING SEWING SECTION.
Authorized By:
SL
01
NAME
Mohammad Saiful Islam
ID
101-23-1927
E-MAIL
saiful_1927@diu.edu.bd
02
Md. Monjur Hossain
101-23-1973
monjur.diu@gmail.com
03
A.S.N Mehdi
101-23-1824
mehdi_1824@diu.edu.bd
Supervised by
Abdullah Al Mamun
Assistant Professor
This Report Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of
Bachelor of Science in Textile Engineering.
December, 2013.
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DECLARATION
We hereby declare that, this thesis paper has been done under the supervision of Abdullah Al
Mamun, Assistant Professor, Department of Textile Engineering, Daffodil International
University. We also declare that neither this thesis paper nor any part of this paper has been
submitted elsewhere for award of any degree or diploma.
Supervised by:
Abdullah Al Mamun
Assistant Professor,
Department of Textile Engineering,
Daffodil International University
Submitted By:
NAME
ID
01. Mohammad Saiful Islam
101-23-1927
02. Md. Monjur Hossain
101-23-1973
03. A.S.N Mehdi
101-23-1824
SIGNATURE
Department of Textile Engineering,
Daffodil International University
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
At first we would like to express our heart-felt thanks to almighty ALLAH for his kind blessing for
complete of this project successfully.
We would like to thank our honorable course teacher & supervisor, Abdullah Al Mamun, Assistant
Professor at Department of Textile Engineering, Daffodil International University for his guidance, help
and encouragement throughout the progress of the thesis work. We are very grateful for his kind advice
and instructions.
We would like to thank Abdullh Al Rana Forhad, Manager, Research & Development of Babylon Group
and the Staffs of Industrial Engineering at Fakir Apparels Ltd who motivate us thoroughly and the other
people, who have made a significant contribution to make this report successful. Their guide lines,
suggestions & inspiration helped us a lot.
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ABSTRACT
Traditionally operated garment industries are facing problems like low productivity, longer
production lead time, high rework and rejection, poor line balancing, low flexibility of style
changeover etc. These problems were addressed in this study by the implementation of lean tools
like cellular manufacturing, single piece flow, work standardization, just in time production etc.
After implementation of lean tools, results observed were highly encouraging. Some of the key
benefits entail production cycle time decreased by 8%, number of operators required to produce
equal amount of garment is decreased by 14%, rework level reduced by 80%, production lead
time comes down to one hour from two days, work in progress inventory stays at a maximum of
100 pieces from around 500 to 1500 pieces. Apart from these tangible benefits operator multiskilling as well as the flexibility of style changeover has been improved. This study is conducted
in the stitching section of a shirt manufacturing company. Study includes time studies, the
conversion of traditional batch production into single piece flow and long assembly line into
small work cells.
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TABLE OF CONTENT
Content
page
CHAPTER-01 ………………………………………………………………………………………… 1
1. Introduction: ........................................................................................................................................... 2
1.1 Background ....................................................................................................................................... 2
1.2 Project Objective: ............................................................................................................................. 3
1.3 Project Approach: ............................................................................................................................. 3
CHAPTER-02 ………………………………………………………………………………………… 4
2. Literature Review: .................................................................................................................................. 5
2.1 History of Lean Manufacturing: ......................................................................................................... 5
2.2 Definition of Lean ............................................................................................................................. 6
2.3 Objectives of Lean Manufacturing: .................................................................................................... 7
2.4 Key Principles of Lean Manufacturing: ......................................................................................... 7
2.5 Key implications of Lean Manufacturing: .......................................................................................... 8
2.6 Lean Manufacturing Concepts: ........................................................................................................... 9
2.6.1 Toyota Production System: .......................................................................................................... 9
2.6.2 Value Creation and Waste: ..................................................................................................... 10
2.6.3 Main Kinds of Waste: .............................................................................................................. 10
2.7.2 Continuous Improvement ........................................................................................................... 13
2.7.3 Standard work: ........................................................................................................................ 13
2.7.4 Visual Management ................................................................................................................. 14
2.7.5 Quality at the Source .................................................................................................................. 15
2.7.6 Value Stream Mapping .............................................................................................................. 16
2.7.7 Just in Time ................................................................................................................................ 16
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2.7.8 Pull and Push System ................................................................................................................. 16
2.7.9 5s ................................................................................................................................................ 17
2.7.10 Autonomous maintenance ........................................................................................................ 17
2.7.11 Kaizen ...................................................................................................................................... 17
2.7.12 Method Study ........................................................................................................................... 18
2.7.13 Time Studies ............................................................................................................................ 19
2.7.14 Work Sampling ........................................................................................................................ 20
2.7.15 Layout Design .......................................................................................................................... 20
2.7.16 Assembly Line Balancing ........................................................................................................ 20
2.8 Methodology of Lean Manufacturing: .............................................................................................. 22
2.9 Reconciling Lean with other systems: ........................................................................................ 25
2.9.1 Lean with Toyota Production System ........................................................................................ 25
2.9.2 Lean Six Sigma .......................................................................................................................... 26
2.9.3 Lean and ERP ............................................................................................................................ 26
2.9.4 Lean with ISO 9001:2000 .......................................................................................................... 26
CHAPTER-03 ....................................................................................................... 27
3.1GARMENT MANUFACTURING PROCESS ................................................................................. 28
3.1.1 Industry Background: ................................................................................................................. 28
3.1.2 Cutting Section........................................................................................................................... 29
3.1.3 Preparatory Section .................................................................................................................... 30
3.1.4 Assembly/Sewing Section.......................................................................................................... 31
3.1.5 Finishing Section ....................................................................................................................... 32
3.1.6 Style Communication................................................................................................................. 32
3.1.7 Existing Production Layout: ...................................................................................................... 33
3.1.8 WIP Movement System ............................................................................................................. 34
3.2 Implementation lean in Garments manufacturing ............................................................................. 34
3.2.1 Implementation by focusing sewing section .............................................................................. 34
3.3 BENEFITS OF LEAN MANUFACTURING .................................................................................. 40
3.4 Why Lean Is So Successful............................................................................................................... 41
3.5
Lean Manufacturing for today’s world ....................................................................................... 42
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CHAPTER-04
RESULT ANALYSIS & DISCUSSION........................................................................ 43
4.1 Fabric Utilization Ratio..................................................................................................................... 44
4.2 Delivered On Time and Delivered In Full ........................................................................................ 44
4.3 Floor Space Savings .......................................................................................................................... 44
4.4 Reduction of Rework Level .............................................................................................................. 45
4.5 Operator Skill Improvement ............................................................................................................. 45
4.6 Graphical Representation for Clear Understanding: .................................................................. 46
4.6.1 Material Transfer: ............................................................................................................... 46
4.6.2 Travelling Distance: ........................................................................................................... 46
4.6.3 Load Carrying Capacity: ................................................................................................... 47
4.6.4 Production Rate: ................................................................................................................ 47
4.6.5 Setup time (for new style): ............................................................................................... 48
CHAPTER-05 ....................................................................................................... 49
5.1 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................................ 50
5.2 Recommendation for Future Research .............................................................................................. 50
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CHAPTER-01
INTRODUCTION
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1. Introduction:
1.1 Background
Due to the increasing labor wage in developed countries, the apparel manufacturing has been
migrating from the high wage developed world to low wage developing countries.
Even though the labor cost is cheaper than in developed countries; due to the specific market
nature of the garment industries for example: the short production life cycle, high volatility, low
predictability, high level of impulse purchase, the quick market response; garment industries are
facing the greatest challenges these days (Lucy Daly and Towers, 2004).
Garment industries in developing countries are more focused on sourcing of raw material and
minimizing delivery cost than labor productivity because of the availability of cheap labor. Due
to this, labor productivity is lower in developing countries than in the developed ones. For
example, labor is very cheap in Bangladesh but the productivity is poor among other developing
countries. Similarly, the cost of fabric is a major part of the garment so there seems to be great
need for improvement in this sector. Even in developing countries the CAD and CAM system for
fabric cutting has been implemented to save fabric. Now the worry is about labor productivity
and making production flexible; because the fashion industry is highly volatile and if the orders
are not fulfilled on time, the fear for losing business is real.
Even today, industries are getting the same or more volumes (orders), but the number of styles
they have to handle has increased drastically. Earlier industries were getting bulk order so there
is no need to worry; if the production line was set for the first time it would run for a month or at
least a week or two. But nowadays due to small order quantities and complex designs, the
garment industry has to produce multiple styles 13 even within a day; this needs higher
flexibility in volume and style change over.
In some cases it has been observed that, in developing countries the garment industries are run as
family business lacking skilled personnel as well as capital to implement new technologies for
improving productivity and flexibility. Because of this, industries have been running in a
traditional way for years and are rigid to change. They are happy as long as they are sustaining
their business. They don’t have much confidence and will towards innovation over old processes.
Now the time has come to struggle with global market demand and niche market in garment
industries if they want to run it further.
This volatility of styles can be addressed only by flexibility in manufacturing. The best way to
cope with all these challenges is the implementation of lean manufacturing. This will serve our
purpose of flexibility and save a lot of money by reducing production lead time, reducing the
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inventory, increasing productivity, training operators for multiple works, and by reducing
rework.
1.2 Project Objective:
Lean manufacturing is an operational strategy oriented towards achieving the shortest possible
cycle time by eliminating wastes. The term lean manufacturing is coined to represent half the
human effort in the company, half the manufacturing space, half the investment in tools and half
the engineering hours to develop a new product in half the time. These benefits can be achieved
only if the concept is religiously followed in the organization. In simple terms lean
manufacturing is without waste.
Thus the objective of this project is to find out how we can use lean manufacturing to achieve the
following:
 To meet customer demand on time by eliminating non value added work from the
process.
 To minimize the work in process inventory.
 To create flexibility of style changeover.
 To reduce rework percentage.
 To create a pool of multi-skilled operators who can respond quickly for changing style.
1.3 Project Approach:
The initial step in this research is to systematically study and define the history of the lean
manufacturing concept and its different tools and techniques. It will then examine some most
used lean manufacturing tools and techniques. This will be followed by the study of the existing
production system of the case company for example the existing production layouts, inventory
movement systems, work balancing methods and other different variables which needs to be
improved for the betterment of the existing system.
To address the current issues of the industry, we tries to find out the standard operation time for
each operation by using time study techniques and will try to standardize all the operations. Once
the standard operation time is obtained work will be done to find out the best suitable production
layout and WIP movement methods, which will help to get flexibility in style changeover, should
reduce the production lead time, create operator multi-skilling etc. After doing these entire things
as project work, we will implement the research outcomes in the company and the improvement
will be measured against the existing process. Basically, this is quantitative research where it is a
part of the organization during the study.
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CHAPTER-02
LITERATURE REVIEW
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2. Literature Review:
2.1 History of Lean Manufacturing:
Lean manufacturing or lean production are reasonably new terms that can be invented to Jim
Womack, Daniel Jones and Daniel Roos in their book, The Machine that changed the world
[1991]. In the book, the authors examined the manufacturing activities exemplified by the
Toyota Production System. Lean manufacturing is the systematic elimination of waste.
Most of these benefits lead to lower unit production costs – for example, more effective use of
equipment and space leads to lower depreciation costs per unit produced, more effective use of
labor results in lower labor costs per unit produced and lower defects lead to lower cost of goods
sold.
In a 2004 survey by Industry Week Magazine, U.S. companies implementing lean manufacturing
reported a median savings of 7% of Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) as a result of implementing
lean. We believe that the savings may actually be higher for companies in Vietnam considering
the higher levels of waste which they typically have compared to U.S. based manufacturers.
Another way of looking at Lean Manufacturing is that it aims to achieve the same output with
less input – less time, less space, less human effort, less machinery, less material, less cost.
When a U.S. equipment manufacturing company, Lantech, completed the implementation of lean
in 1995, they reported the following improvements compared to their batch-based system in
1991
 Manufacturing space per machine was reduced by 45%;
 Defects were reduced by 90%
 Production cycle time was reduced from 16 weeks to 14 hours - 5 days; and
 Product delivery lead time was reduced from 4-20 weeks to 1-4 weeks.
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2.2 Definition of Lean
The popular definition of Lean Manufacturing usually consists of the following:
1. It is a comprehensive set of techniques which when combined allows you to reduce and
eliminate the wastes. This will make the company leaner, more flexible and more responsive by
reducing waste.
2. Lean is the systematic approach to identifying and eliminating waste through continuous
improvement by flowing the product or service at the pull of your customer in pursuit of perfection
According to the lean operating system consists of the following:
 A lean operating system follows certain principles to deliver value to the customer while
minimizing all forms of loss.
 Each value stream within the operating system must be optimized individually from end
to end.
 Lean tools and techniques are applied selectively to eliminate the three sources of loss:
waste, variability and inflexibility.
Thus the organization who wants to implement lean should have strong customer focus, should
be willing to remove wastes from the processes they operate on daily basis and should have the
motivation of growth and survival.
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2.3 Objectives of Lean Manufacturing:
Lean Manufacturing, also called Lean Production, is a set of tools and methodologies that aims
for the continuous elimination of all waste in the production process. The main benefits of this
are lower production costs, increased output and shorter production lead times. More
specifically, some of the goals include:
1. Defects and wastage - Reduce defects and unnecessary physical wastage, including
excess use of raw material inputs, preventable defects, costs associated with
reprocessing defective items, and unnecessary product characteristics which are not
required by customers;
2. Cycle Times - Reduce manufacturing lead times and production cycle times by
reducing waiting times between processing stages, as well as process preparation
times and product/model conversion times;
3. Inventory levels - Minimize inventory levels at all stages of production, particularly
works-in-progress between production stages. Lower inventories also mean lower
working capital requirements;
4. Labor productivity - Improve labor productivity, both by reducing the idle time of
workers and ensuring that when workers are working, they are using their effort as
productively as possible (including not doing unnecessary tasks or unnecessary
motions);
5. Utilization of equipment and space - Use equipment and manufacturing space more
efficiently by eliminating bottlenecks and maximizing the rate of production though
existing equipment, while minimizing machine downtime;
6. Flexibility - Have the ability to produce a more flexible range of products with
minimum changeover costs and changeover time.
2.4 Key Principles of Lean Manufacturing:
Key principles behind Lean Manufacturing can be summarized as follows:
1. Recognition of waste – The first step is to recognize what does and does not create value
from the customer’s perspective. Any material, process or feature which is not required for
creating value from the customer’s perspective is waste and should be eliminated. For example,
transporting materials between workstations is waste because it can potentially be eliminated.
2. Standard processes – Lean requires an the implementation of very detailed production
guidelines, called Standard Work, which clearly state the content, sequence, timing and outcome
of all actions by workers. This eliminates variation in the way that workers perform their tasks.
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3. Continuous flow – Lean usually aims for the implementation of a continuous production flow
free of bottlenecks, interruption, detours, backflows or waiting. When this is successfully
implemented, the production cycle time can be reduced by as much as 90%.
4. Pull-production – Also called Just-in-Time (JIT), Pull-production aims to produce only what
is needed, when it is needed. Production is pulled by the downstream workstation so that each
workstation should only produce what is requested by the next workstation.
5. Quality at the Source – Lean aims for defects to be eliminated at the source and for quality
inspection to be done by the workers as part of the in-line production process.
6. Continuous improvement – Lean requires striving for perfection by continually removing
layers of waste as they are uncovered. This in turn requires a high level of worker involvement in
the continuous improvement process.
7. Output – Insofar as reduced cycle times, increased labor productivity and elimination of
bottlenecks and machine downtime can be achieved, companies can generally significantly
increased output from their existing facilities.
Most of these benefits lead to lower unit production costs – for example, more effective use of
equipment and space leads to lower depreciation costs per unit produced, more effective use of
labor results in lower labor costs per unit produced and lower defects lead to lower cost of goods
sold.
Another way of looking at Lean Manufacturing is that it aims to achieve the same output with
less inputs – less time, less space, less human effort, less machinery, less materials, less costs.
When a U.S. equipment manufacturing company, Lantech, completed the implementation of lean
in 1995, they reported the following improvements compared to their batch-based system in
1991:
 Manufacturing space per machine was reduced by 45%;
 Defects were reduced by 90%
 Production cycle time was reduced from 16 weeks to 14 hours - 5 days; and
 Product delivery lead time was reduced from 4-20 weeks to 1-4 weeks.
2.5 Key implications of Lean Manufacturing:
Manufacturing
System
Traditional batch manufacturing
Lean Manufacturing
Orientation
Supply driven
Customer driven
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Planning
Orders are pushed though factory
based on production plan/forecast
Orders are pulled through factory
based on customer/downstream
demand
Batch size
Large
Small
Quality inspection
Checking of samples by QC inspectors
In-line inspection by workers
Inventory
Buffer of work-in-progress between
each production stage
Little or no work-in-progress
between each production stage
Handoff of works-
Materials after each stage accumulate
Materials handed off directly from
one
in-progress
into works-in-progress storage areas
before being retrieved by next
production stage
production stage to the next
Production cycle time
Total production cycle takes
significantly longer than actual time
spent processing the materials.
Total production cycle shortens to
approach time spent actually
processing the materials.
2.6 Lean Manufacturing Concepts:
2.6.1 Toyota Production System:
It is a manufacturing system developed by Toyota in Japan after World War II, which aims to
increase production efficiency by the elimination of waste. The Toyota production system was
invented and made to work, by Taiichi Ohno. While analyzing the problems inside the
manufacturing environment; Ohno came to conclude that different kinds of wastes (non value
added works) are the main cause of inefficiency and low productivity. Ohno identified waste in a
number of forms, including overproduction, waiting time, transportation problems, inefficient
processing, inventory, and defective products.
Each element of this house is critical, but more important is the way the elements reinforce each
other. Just In Time (JIT) means removing the inventory used to buffer operations against
problems that may arise in production. The ideal of one-piece flow is to make one unit at a time
at the rate of customer demand or Takt time. Using smaller buffers (removing the “safety net”)
means that problems like quality defects become immediately visible. This means workers must
resolve the problems immediately and urgently to resume production.
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2.6.2 Value Creation and Waste:
In Lean Manufacturing, the value of a product is defined solely based on what the customer
actually requires and is willing to pay for. Production operations can be grouped into following
three types of activities:
Value-added activities are activities which transform the materials into the exact product that
the customer requires.
Non value-added activities are activities which aren’t required for transforming the materials
into the product that the customer wants. Anything which is non-value-added may be defined as
waste. Anything that adds unnecessary time, effort or cost is considered non value-added.
Another way of looking at waste is that it is any material or activity for which the customer is not
willing to pay. Testing or inspecting materials is also considered waste since this can be
eliminated insofar as the production process can be improved to eliminate defects from
occurring. For more on the kinds of waste, please see section 2.2.
Necessary non value-added activities are activities that don’t add value from the perspective of
the customer but are necessary to produce the product unless the existing supply or production
process is radically changed. This kind of waste may be eliminated in the long-run but is unlikely
to be eliminated in the near-term. For example, high levels of inventory may be required as
buffer stock, although this could be gradually reduced as production becomes more stable.
Research at the Lean Enterprise Research Centre (LERC) in the United Kingdom indicated that
for a typical manufacturing company the ratio of activities could be broken down as follows:
Value-added activity
5%
Non value-added activity
60%
Necessary non value-added activity 35%
Total activities
=100%
This implies that up to 60% of the activities at a typical manufacturing company could
potentially be eliminated.
2.6.3 Main Kinds of Waste:
Originally 7 main types of waste were identified as part of the Toyota Production System.
However, this list has been modified and expanded by various practitioners of lean
manufacturing and generally includes the following:
1. Over-production – Over-production is unnecessarily producing more than demanded or
producing it too early before it is needed. This increases the risk of obsolescence, increases the
risk of producing the wrong thing and increases the possibility of having to sell those items at a
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discount or discard them as scrap. However, there are some cases when an extra supply of semifinished or finished products are intentionally maintained, even by lean manufacturers.
2. Defects – In addition to physical defects which directly add to the costs of goods sold, this
may include errors in paperwork, provision of incorrect information about the product, late
delivery, production to incorrect specifications, use of too much raw materials or generation of
unnecessary scrap.
3. Inventory – Inventory waste means having unnecessarily high levels of raw materials, worksin-progress and finished products. Extra inventory leads to higher inventory financing costs,
higher storage costs and higher defect rates. For more on this, please see section 2.5 below.
4. Transportation - Transportation includes any movement of materials that does not add any
value to the product, such as moving materials between workstations. The idea is that
transportation of materials between production stages should aim for the ideal that the output of
one process is immediately used as the input for the next process. Transportation between
processing stages results in prolonging production cycle times, the inefficient use of labor and
space and can also be a source of minor production stoppages.
5. Waiting – Waiting is idle time for workers or machines due to bottlenecks or inefficient
production flow on the factory floor. Waiting also includes small delays between processing of
units. Waiting results in a significant cost insofar as it increases labor costs and depreciation
costs per unit of output.
6. Motion – Motion includes any unnecessary physical motions or walking by workers which
diverts them from actual processing work. For example, this might include walking around the
factory floor to look for a tool, or even unnecessary or difficult physical movements, due to
poorly designed ergonomics, which slow down the workers.
7. Correction – Correction, or reprocessing, is when something has to be re-done because it
wasn’t done correctly the first time. This not only results in inefficient use of labor and
equipment but the act of re-processing often causes disruptions to the smooth flow of production
and therefore generates bottlenecks and stoppages. Also, issues associated with reworking
typically consume a significant amount of management time and therefore add to factory
overhead costs.
8. Over-processing – Over-processing is unintentionally doing more processing work than the
customer requires in terms of product quality or features – such as polishing or applying
finishing on some areas of a product that won’t be seen by the customer.
9. Knowledge Disconnection – This is when information or knowledge isn’t available where or
when it is needed. This might include information on correct procedures, specifications, ways to
solve problems, etc. Lack of correct information often leads to defects and bottlenecks. For
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example, unavailability of a mixing formula may potentially suspend the entire process or create
defective items due to time-consuming trial-and-error tests.
2.7 Lean Manufacturing Tools and Techniques
There are numbers of lean manufacturing tools which, when used in proper ways will give the
best results. Once the source of the waste is identified it is easier to use the suitable lean tool to
reduce or eliminate them and try to make waste free systems. Some of these tools are discussed
in this chapter.
2.7.1 Cellular Manufacturing
A cell is a combination of people, equipment and workstations organized in the order of process
to flow, to manufacture all or part of a production unit. Following are the characteristics of
effective cellular manufacturing practice.
1. Should have one-piece or very small lot of flow.
2. The equipment should be right-sized and very specific for the cell operations.
3. Is usually arranged in a C or U shape so the incoming raw materials and outgoing finished
goods are easily monitored.
4. Should have cross-trained people within the cell for flexibility of operation.
5. Generally, the cell is arranged in C or U shape and covers less space than the long assembly
lines.
There are lots of benefits of cellular manufacturing over long assembly lines. Some of them are
as follows:
1. Reduced work in process inventory because the work cell is set up to provide a balanced flow
from machine to machine.
2. Reduced direct labor cost because of improved communication between employees, better
material flow, and improved scheduling.
3. High employee participation is achieved due to added responsibility of product quality
monitored by themselves rather than separate quality persons.
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4. Increased use of equipment and machinery, because of better scheduling and faster material
flow.
5. Allows the company higher degrees of flexibility to accommodate changes in customer
demand.
6. Promotes continuous improvement as problems are exposed to surface due to low WIP and
better communication.
7. Reduces throughput time and increases velocity for customer orders from order receipt
through production and shipment.
8. Enhances the employee’s productive capability through multi-skilled multi machine operators.
Apart from these tangible benefits, there is the very important advantage of cellular
manufacturing over the linear flow model. Due to the closed loop arrangement of machines, the
operators inside the cell are familiar with each other’s operations and they understand each other
better. This improves the relation between the operators and helps to improve productivity.
Where as in long assembly line one operator knows only two operators (before and after his
operation in the line) it seems that operators are working independently in the line.
2.7.2 Continuous Improvement
According to Continuous improvement (CI) can be defined as the planned, organized and
systematic process of ongoing, incremental and company-wide change of existing practices
aimed at improving company performance. Successful CI implementation involves not only the
training and development of employees in the use of tools and processes, but also the
establishment of a learning environment conducive to future continuous learning.
The short description of PDCA cycle is given below:
Plan: Identify an opportunity and plan for change.
Do: Implement the change on a small scale.
Check: Use data to analyze the results of the change and determine whether it made a difference.
Act: If the change was successful, implement it on a wider scale and continuously assess the
results. If the change did not work, begin the cycle again.
Thus continuous improvement is an ongoing and never ending process; it measures only the
achievements gained from the application of one process over the existing.
2.7.3 Standard work:
Standard Work means that production processes and guidelines are very clearly defined and
communicated, in a high level of detail, so as to eliminate variation and incorrect assumptions in
the way that work is performed.
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The standard work guidelines used in Lean Manufacturing are typically defined in significantly
greater detail than the minimum required for conformity with 7.5.1 of ISO 9001:2000 on
“Control of Production and Service Provision
1. Standard work sequence - This is the order in which a worker must perform tasks,
including motions and processes. This is clearly specified to ensure that all workers
perform the tasks in the most similar ways possible so as to minimize variation and
therefore defects.
2. Standard timing – Takt time is the frequency with which a single piece is produced.
Takt time is used to clearly specify and monitor the rate at which a process should be
occurring at various production stages. For lean manufacturers, the Takt time of each
production process is actively managed and monitored so that a continuous flow can
occur.
3. Standard in-process inventory – This is the minimum unit of materials, consisting
primarily of units undergoing processing, which are required to keep a cell or process
moving at the desired rate. This should be clearly determined since it is necessary to
maintain this minimum amount of in-process inventory in order to not cause unnecessary
downtime. This is used to calculate the volume and frequency of orders, or Kanban, to
upstream suppliers.
2.7.4 Visual Management
Visual Management systems enable factory workers to be well informed about production
procedures, status and other important information for them to do their jobs as effectively as
possible. Large visual displays are generally much more effective means of communication to
workers on the factory floor than written reports and guidelines and therefore should be used as
much as possible. When it comes to improving compliance with a process, visual presentation
helps the team better understand a complicated process including the correct sequence of events,
the correct way to perform each action, internal and external relationships between actions, and
other factors. These visual tools may include the following:
1. Visual Displays - Charts, metrics, procedures and process documentation which are reference
information for production workers. For example, trend chart of yield performance, % variation
of defect rate, month-to-date shipping volume status, etc.
2. Visual Controls – Indicators intended to control or signal actions to group members. This
may include production status information, quality tracking information, etc. For example, colorcoded panel for temperature or speed setting control limits that help an operator quickly identify
process is out of the control range. Kanban cards are another example of visual controls.
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3. Visual process indicators – These communicate the correct production processes or flow of
materials. For example, this would include the use of painted floor areas for non-defective stock
and scrap or indicators for the correct flow of materials on the factory floor.
2.7.5 Quality at the Source
Quality at the Source, also called “Do It Right the First Time”, means that quality should be built
into the production process in such a way that defects are unlikely to occur in the first place
Some of the key implications of this:
1. In-line inspection – The main responsibility for quality inspection is done in-line by workers,
not by separate quality inspectors who inspect sample lots. Although some independent QC
inspectors are often still used in lean companies, their role is minimized (ideally there are no QC
inspectors because they also are considered a waste in Lean Manufacturing).
2. Source inspections – In source inspections, the quality inspectors don’t inspect for defects
themselves, but inspect for the causes of defects. For example, they may inspect if standard
processes are being done correctly by workers, or in a case where defects have occurred, they
may be responsible for identifying what was the source of those defects. From this perspective,
the primary job of a quality control team is to troubleshoot the root cause of defects, implement
preventive measures and provide training to workers to ensure the defects do not reoccur.
3. Clear accountability among workers – In Lean Manufacturing, unless there is an intentional
inventory of semi-finished products, there is a direct handoff between each upstream stage and
downstream stage, meaning that the workers at each upstream stage are fully responsible for the
quality of the materials they deliver to the downstream stage and will be held personally
accountable for any defects. On the other hand, if there is a large buffer of inventory between
two
4. Poka Yoke – Simple methods for in-line quality testing (not just visual inspection), sometimes
referred to as “Poka Yoke”, are implemented so that defective materials do not get passed
through the production process. In Poka-Yoke, 100% of the unit7s are tested as part of the
production process. These measures are performed in-line by the production workers (not the
quality control team).
5. Intentional shutdowns – When defects are generated, production is shut down until the source
of the defect can be solved. This helps ensure a culture of zero tolerance for defects and also
prevents defective items from working their way downstream and causing bigger problems
downstream. For example, at Toyota any worker can shut down the production line. This also
helps ensure accountability by upstream workers.
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2.7.6 Value Stream Mapping
Value stream mapping is a set of methods to visually display the flow of materials and
information through the production process. The objective of value stream mapping is to identify
value-added activities and non value-added activities. Value stream maps should reflect what
actually happens rather than what is supposed to happen so that opportunities for improvement
can be identified.
Value Stream Mapping is often used in process cycle-time improvement projects since it
demonstrates exactly how a process operates with detailed timing of step-by-step activities. It is
also used for process analysis and improvement by identifying and eliminating time spent on non
value-added activities.
2.7.7 Just in Time
Just in time is an integrated set of activities designed to achieve high volume production using
the minimal inventories of raw materials, work in process and finished goods. Just in time is also
based on the logic that nothing will be produced until it is needed.
Just-in-time manufacturing is a Japanese management philosophy applied in manufacturing. It
involves having the right items with the right quality and quantity in the right place at the
right time. The ability to manage inventory (which often accounts for as much as 80 percent of
product cost) to coincide with market demand or changing product specifications can
substantially boost profits and improve a manufacturer’s competitive position by reducing
inventories and waste. In general, Just in Time (JIT) helps to optimize company resources
like capital, equipment, and labor. The goal of JIT is the total elimination of waste in the
manufacturing process. It is based on producing only the necessary units in the necessary
quantities at the necessary time by bringing production rates exactly in line with market demand.
In short, JIT means making what the market wants, when it wants, by using a minimum of
facilities, equipment, materials, and human resources.
2.7.8 Pull and Push System
The push system is also known as the Materials Requirements Planning (MRP) system.
This system is based on the planning department setting up a long-term production schedule,
which is then dissected to give a detailed schedule for making or buying parts.
This detailed schedule then pushes the production people to make a part and push it forward to
the next station. The major weakness of this system is that it relies on guessing the future
customer demand to develop the schedule that production is based on and guessing the time it
takes to produce each part. Overestimation and underestimation may lead to excess inventory or
part shortages, respectively
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Whereas in pull system; each work station pulls the output from the preceding station as it is
needed. Output from the final operation is pulled by customer demand or the master schedule.
Thus in pull system work is moved in response to demand from the next stage in the process.
The Kanban system is used to monitor the effective pull process.
Total productive maintenance:
2.7.9 5s
Sort: The first step in making things cleaned up and organized.
Set In Order: Organize, identify and arrange everything in a work area.
Shine: Regular cleaning and maintenance.
Standardize: Make it easy to maintain, simplify and standardize.
Sustain: Maintain what has been achieved.
2.7.10 Autonomous maintenance
This is about the involvement of production workers in the day to day general maintenance of
machines like cleaning, lubricating etc. which saves the time of skilled maintenance person at the
same time the production workers are made more responsible to their machines.
2.7.11 Kaizen
Kaizen is for small improvements, but carried out on a continual basis and involve all people in
the organization. Kaizen requires no or little investment. The principle behind is that “a very
large number of small improvements are more effective in an organizational environment than a
few improvements of large value.” This pillar is aimed at reducing losses in the workplace that
affect our efficiencies.
Planned maintenance
It addresses the proactive approach of maintenance activities. This involves four types of
maintenance namely preventive maintenance, breakdown maintenance, corrective maintenance,
and maintenance prevention.
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Quality Maintenance
It is aimed towards customer delight through the highest quality and defect free manufacturing.
In this system, one has to take care of parts which affect product quality and try to eliminate or
modify them to give customer superior quality.
Training
Employees should be trained such that they can analyze the root cause of the problem.
General know how of the problem is not sufficient rather they should be able to know why the
problem is occurring and how to eliminate it. For this employee need continuous training,
ultimately; the entire employee should be multi-skilled and should solve the problem in their area
by themselves.
Office TPM
This tool is about increasing the efficiencies in office (administrative) activities. This tool works
the problems like communication issues, data retrieval processes, management information
systems, office equipment losses, up to date information about inventories etc.
Safety Health and Environment
In this area, the focus is to create a safe workplace and a surrounding area that would not be
damaged by our process or procedures. This pillar will play an active role in each of the other
pillars on a regular basis. Safe work environment means accident free, fire less and it should not
damage the health of workers.
2.7.12 Method Study
Method study focuses on how a task can (should) be accomplished. Whether controlling a
machine or making or assembling components, how a task is done makes a difference in
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performance, safety, and quality. Using knowledge from ergonomics and methods analysis,
methods engineers are charged with ensuring quality and quantity standards are achieved
efficiently and safely. Methods analysis and related techniques are useful in office environments
as well as in the factory. Methods techniques are used to analyze the following:
1. Movement of individuals or material. Analysis for this is performed using flow diagrams and
process charts with varying amounts of detail.
2. Activity of human and machine and crew activity. Analysis for this is performed using activity
charts (also known as man-machine charts and crew charts).
3. Body movement (primarily arms and hands). Analysis for this is performed using micromotion charts.
2.7.13 Time Studies
The classical stopwatch study, or time study, originally proposed by Federic W. Taylor in 1881,
is still the most widely used time study method. The time study procedure involves the timing of
a sample of worker’s performance and using it to set a standard.
A trained and experienced person can establish a standard by following these eight steps:
1. Define the task to be studied (after methods analysis has been conducted).
2. Divide the task into precise elements (parts of a task that often takes no more than a few
seconds).
3. Decide how many times to measure the task (the number of cycles of samples needed).
4. Record elemental times and rating of performance.
5. Compute the average observed cycle time. The average observed cycle time is the arithmetic
mean of the times for each element measured, adjusted for unusual influence for each element:
Sum of the times recorder to perform each element
Average observed cycle time =
Number of cycle observed
6. Determine performance rating and then compute the normal time for each element.
Normal Time = (average observed cycle time) x (performance rating factor).
7. Add the normal times for each element to develop a total normal time for each task.
8. Compute the standard time. This adjustment to the total normal time provides allowances such
as personal needs, unavoidable work delays and worker fatigue.
Total normal time
Standard Time =
1 –Allowance factor
Personal time allowances are often established in the range of 4% to 7% of total time, depending
upon nearness to rest rooms, water fountains, and other facilities. Delay allowances are often set
as a result of the actual studies of the delay that occurs. Fatigue allowances are based on our
growing knowledge of human energy expenditure under various physical and environmental
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conditions. The major two disadvantages of this method are; first they require a trained staff of
analysts and secondly the labor standards cannot be set before tasks are actually performed.
2.7.14 Work Sampling
It is an estimate of the percentage of time that a worker spends on particular work by using
random sampling of various workers. This can be conducted by the following procedures:
1. Take a preliminary sample to obtain an estimate of the parameter value (such as percent of
time worker is busy).
2. Compute the sample size required.
3. Prepare a schedule for observing the worker at appropriate times. The concept of random
numbers is used to provide for random observation.
4. Observe and record worker activities.
5. Determine how workers spend their time (usually as percentage).
To determine the number of observation required, management must decide upon the desired
confidence level and accuracy. Work sampling offers several advantages over time study
methods. First, because a single observer can observe several workers simultaneously, it is less
expensive.
Second, observers usually do not require much training and no timing devices are needed.
Third, the study can be temporarily delayed at any time with little impact on the results.
Fourth, because work sampling uses instantaneous observations over a long period, the worker
has little chance of affecting the study outcome.
Fifth, the procedure is less intrusive and therefore less likely to generate objections
2.7.15 Layout Design
Layout is one of the key decisions that determine the long-run efficiency of operations.
Layout has numerous strategic implications because it establishes an organization’s competitive
priorities in regard to the capacity, processes, flexibility and cost as well as quality of work life,
customer contact and image. An effective layout can help an organization to achieve a strategy
that supports differentiation, low cost, or response
The layout must consider how to achieve the following:
1. Higher utilization of space, equipment, and people.
2. Improved flow of information, material or people.
3. Improved employee morale and safer working conditions.
4. Improved customer/client interaction.
5. Flexibility (whatever the layout is now, it will need to change).
2.7.16 Assembly Line Balancing
Line balancing is usually undertaken to minimize imbalance between machines or personnel
while meeting a required output from the line. The production rate is indicated as cycle time to
produce one unit of the product, the optimum utilization of work force depends on the basis of
output norms. The assembly line needs to balance so that there is minimum waiting of the line
due to different operation time at each workstation. The sequencing is therefore, not only the
allocation of men and machines to operating activities, but also the optimal utilization of
facilities by the proper balancing of the assembly line
The process of assembly line balancing involves three steps:
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1. Take the units required (demand or production rate) per day and divide it into the productive
time available per day (in minutes or seconds)
Cycle time = production time available per day / units required per day
2. Balance the line by assigning specific assembly tasks to each workstation. An efficient balance
is one that will complete the required assembly, follow the specified sequence, and keep the idle
time at each work stations to a minimum.
A. Takt Time
Takt is German word for a pace or beat, often linked to conductor’s baton. Takt time is a
reference number that is used to help match the rate of production in a pacemaker process to the
rate of sales. This can be formulated as below:
Available work time per shift
Takt Time =
Customer order quantity per shift
Takt time can be defined as the rate at which customers need products i.e. the products should be
produced at least equal to takt time to meet the customer demand. Takt time works better when
customer demand is steady and clearly known; but if the customer demand varies on the daily
basis then it is difficult to calculate the takt time as well as balance the production facility
according to varying takt time. So if the orders are varying every day the information of actual
shipments (not orders) should be gathered for last few months or years and takt time for the
particular product should be calculated. In this way, the production can be balanced to meet
changing customer demand.
B. Cycle Time
Cycle time is defined as how frequently a finished product comes out of our production
Facility Cycle time includes all types of delays occurred while completing a job. So cycle time
can be calculated by the following formula:
Total Cycle Time = processing time + set up time + waiting time + moving time +inspection
time + rework time + other delays to complete the job
Summary: This chapter briefly describes lean manufacturing tools and techniques for waste
reduction and efficiency enhancement. Literature defines lean manufacturing, describes some
lean tools (most relevant to this project ), work standardization and assembly line balancing
tools. The lean tools selected consist of cellular manufacturing, single piece flow, just in time
(pull production), work standardization methods, continuous improvement process, and some
other waste reduction tools. The chapter ends with the work standardization process by time
studies, layout design and assembly line balancing methods. Lean is a powerful tool, when
adopted it can create superior financial and operational results. But in many cases, the confusion
about how to start lean, from where to begin is also a problem for new practitioners. In some
cases, the company tries to implement lean but it does not give effective results and stops inbetween. All these are due to lack of clarity before implementing lean and lack of top
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management commitment. So to avoid the chances of failure one has to prepare in advance for
the outcomes of the lean and should involve all employees on improvement programs. Lean is
not just about the implementation of tools but also the development of its employees to adopt
these tools.
So, regular training and upgrading of employee skill is the most important factor for the success
of lean.
2.8 Methodology of Lean Manufacturing:
Figure1. Lean Implementation Model Used By Case Company
The initial state of performance and improvements after lean implementation were measured through
KPIs, such as dock-to-dock, on-time delivery, first-time-through, fabric utilization, etc., generated from
published records and the company’s resource planning system.
Then the step by step implementation was carried out using the model developed. The data to calculate
KPIs were monitored and recorded throughout the period of implementation for analysis purposes. The
impact of lean manufacturing on the organizational culture over the period of lean implementation was
analyzed through various layers of workforce, via interviews and observation of the personnel who were
directly involved with the implementation process.
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Case Study Analysis
The company appointed a team comprised of internal staff and external experts on lean to carryout
and monitor the implementation process. The model was used as a systematic approach in identifying
and eliminating waste or non-value added-activities through continuous improvement by making
products on time with best quality and lowest cost. To monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the
implementation process, different indicators were used mainly dock to dock (DTD), raw material on
time delivery (RM-OTD), floor space savings, first time through (FTT), fabric Utilization ratio, plant
efficiency and on-time shipment in full (OTSF). Definitions of these indicators are listed in the
appendix. These KPIs were selected to provide a meaningful indication of performance in supporting
the success of their lean journey. The way each phase was carried out during the implementation is
discussed bellow.
Change Management
This was a main objective and a challenge where the lean implementation team (LIT) followed a well
planned approach to attract and align employees to the lean culture based on Lewin’s force field
analysis model (Lewin, 1947). The LIT also used the action research approach as well as parallel
learning approach for the positive transformation of the culture. The team was intervening and
resolving the conflicts and issues encountered during the implementation phase. Employees at all
levels were encouraged and facilitated to actively take part in the problem identification and applying
relevant lean tools while customizing them to the context of bulk apparel production. Top
management commitment along with the LIT’s strong belief of success was key for the positive
culture shift. Dramas were used to communicate well and establish the lean concepts among all
levels of employees. This approached helped to foster the idea of lean while eliminating possible
resistance for the changing culture.
Policy Deployment
Objectives of the lean project aligned with the organization’s vision were defined as the first step
with the guidance of the top management. This vision was well communicated and the commitment
of all employees was focused towards achieving the desired future state. The goals were high quality,
low cost, and fast delivery through shortening the production flow by eliminating waste. Traditional
mass production primarily focuses on the cost reductions through individual efficiency gains within
individual operations whereas lean manufacturing focuses on quality and doing each activity right at
the first time which will simultaneously reduce cost and improve quality. Achieving lowest cost and
shortest lead time are essential to compete in the global apparel market. These two aspects are
lagging among all the Sri Lankan apparel manufacturers (Kelegama, 2005). Just-in-time (JIT) and
built-in quality concepts were used in addressing those aspects.
Knowledge Management
Awareness programmes were conducted considering the employees’ educational level. Training was
conducted in the local language for sewing machine operators together with other teaching aids to
convey the message correctly. Furthermore, workshops with practical demonstrations were used to
improve the awareness on lean among employees of all levels. Knowledge was shared amongst the
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executive level and upper levels through structured training programmes called Belt trainings. There
were three levels of belt training namely yellow, blue and black. At the end of each training session,
examinations were conducted to assess the knowledge gained.
Participative Management
This strategy aimed at involving employees from multiple functions and levels to work together to
address a problem or improve a particular process. Employees were welcomed to make suggestions
to improve the current processes. These kaizen activities played a vital role in participative
management. Suggestion pyramid was another method used to obtain the feedback of the employees
and sharing it with others. This was a pyramid structure displayed in the production floor visible to
all encouraging others to generate their own new ideas thinking along the already posted suggestions.
Innovation of needle finder and button attaching using Bar Tack machine were two key examples of
this effort. Employees were rewarded based on the financial benefits to the organization on the
implemented suggestions. Apart from that, Statistical Process Control (SPC) meetings were
conducted by production line supervisors along with machine operators to find solutions to their
work related issues when practicing lean manufacturing.
Process Management
The case company used formal lean manufacturing tools and techniques to reap the benefits by
effectively amalgamating human resources with manufacturing process. These include value stream
mapping (VSM), 6S (5S and Safety), visual management techniques (VMT), error proofing, kaizen,
total productive maintenance (TPM), standardization, quick changeover (QCO), line balancing and
kanban. In VSM, a work plan was prepared to achieve the future state map. A work plan to address
the opportunities revealed from brainstorming sessions was developed which consists of measurable
goals based on clearly defined lean metrics. Furthermore, the initial 5S programme was extended to
the 6Ss introducing safety as the 6th S where the 6S programme ultimately provides a strong
foundation for higher quality and productivity, cost reduction, timely delivery, greater safety, and
higher employee morale. VMT facilitated in identifying real time process information such as
signaling of malfunctioned equipment and in conveying information such as production line
performance.
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Standard operating procedures (SOPs) were developed for individual manufacturing processes such
as cutting, raw material sorting, quality inspection and laboratory tests using standard work sheets.
Physical space and the documentation practices were standardized through the 6S programme.
The quick change-over (QCO) technique was used to shorten the work cell set up times and a prepreparation area was allocated allowing mechanics to perform machine setting-up operations before
style changes.
After a series of kaizen events on set-up time reduction, the changeover times were reduced from 3
days to an average of 15 minutes.
The kanban system was implemented throughout the bulk production value stream from material
stores to the packing section with two types of card systems, namely production kanban and
withdrawal kanban. PDCA cycle (Plan-Do-Check-Act / Deming cycle) meetings were conducted at
each production line to generate and implement kaizen ideas while promoting a participative culture.
These kaizen projects were targeted on efficiency improvements, cost saving projects by reducing
overheads, sewing technique standardization and suppliers development to minimize the quality
inspection of all supplies thereby reducing non value adding activities. It was interesting to note that
the kaizen implementations coupled with the reward system significantly improved the employee
motivation towards the new kaizen culture. The use of the aforementioned tools provided a direct
impact to the company’s set objectives and KPI’s during the lean implementation.
2.9 Reconciling Lean with other systems:
2.9.1 Lean with Toyota Production System
Although Lean Manufacturing originated with the Toyota Production System (TPS),
Lean Manufacturing has been adopted by many companies and has therefore become
broader than what TPS encompasses. TPS can be seen as the way one particular company
has implemented lean in a very pure form. In TPS, several key themes are emphasized:
1. Standard Work – All production process are highly specified in terms of work
content, sequence of events, timing and outcome. The objective is to eliminate any
variation in the way that workers perform their responsibilities.
2. Direct handoffs – Every customer/supplier connection must be direct, and there
always must be an unambiguous yes-or-no way to communicate production requests
between suppliers and customers. This ensures maximum accountability by suppliers
and ensures optimal communication flow.
3. Production flow - The pathway for every product and service must be simple and
direct, with a predetermined flow. This means that goods do not flow to the next
available person or machine but to a specific person or machine and that this person
or machine is as close as possible to its supplier.
4. Worker empowerment for process improvement - All improvements must be made
in accordance with the scientific method, under the supervision of an expert, but
should originate at the lowest possible level in the organization. Toyota encourages
workers to propose improvements to the production process which can be
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implemented on a trial basis, but any changes to the production process must be
defined in detail in accordance with Toyota’s standards for Standard Work, as
described above.
2.9.2 Lean Six Sigma
Six Sigma is a systematic methodology for breakthrough improvement of business
processes by identifying the causes of variation in the production process which lead to
defects and then eliminating that variation to minimize defects. Since a key objective of
Lean Manufacturing is also to eliminate defects, statistical and problem-solving tools of
Six Sigma can be used in the implementation of Lean Manufacturing. Often they are
implemented concurrently in what is referred to as “Lean Six Sigma”.
2.9.3 Lean and ERP
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) has its roots in Material Requirement Planning (MRP)
systems for which production is typically scheduled based on a push-based production plan. The
schedules are updated based on information on production status which is fed from the factory
floor back into the MRP system. A frequent problem that emerges with MRP systems is that the
data from the factory floor on production status and inventory levels may be inaccurate or not
entered on a timely basis, causing the MRP system’s production plan to use some incorrect
assumptions which cause bottlenecks and/or cause the MRP system to intentionally produce
more buffer inventory as a precaution. Most ERP packages are designed for push-based,
centrally-planned production.
It should also be noted that ERP systems typically include a number of modules that don’t
specifically relate to production planning – such as accounting, financial analysis, human
resource management, sales management, etc. These can often be very beneficial for the
company and have no direct impact on the company’s ability to implement lean manufacturing.
2.9.4 Lean with ISO 9001:2000
ISO 9001:2000 is a quality management system which aims to ensure that the company has basic
systems in place to consistently meet the customer’s quality requirements. Relative to
ISO9001:2000, Lean Manufacturing may be seen as an efficiency management system which
aims to reduce all waste and inefficiency from the production process. Although these goals are
overlapping in some ways, particularly insofar as they both should result in minimizing the level
of defective products delivered to customers, there are substantial differences. For example, a
company could have 100% conformity with ISO9001:2000 but still have very high levels of
waste and inefficiency. An important distinction is that ISO9001:2000 requires that the
company’s processes meet certain minimum criteria, whereas Lean aims for continuous
improvement in the company’s processes, and provides a set of methodologies to achieve that. In
general, it is considered that ISO9001 provides a good foundation for Lean and that the two are
complementary to each other.
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CHAPTER-03
LEAN IMPLEMENTATION
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Type of companies benefited from lean:
Lean is most widely used in industries that are assembly-oriented or have a high amount of
repetitive human processes. These are typically industries for which productivity is highly
influenced by the efficiency and attention to detail of the people who are working manually with
tools or operating equipment. For these kinds of companies, improved systems can eliminate
significant levels of waste or inefficiency. Examples of this include- Wood-processing,
Garments manufacturing, Automobile assembly, Electronics assembly and Equipment
manufacturing.
3.1GARMENT MANUFACTURING PROCESS
3.1.1 Industry Background:
The thesis is conducted in garment industry whose major products are Men’s formal shirt in
various order size. The factory consists of central cutting department, 15 independent stitching
lines and central finishing (packing) section. Generally, operators are responsible for the quality
of individual work, even after that there is quality check (audit) at the end of each section
(department) so that there should not be any defective parts transferred from one section to
another section. The overall production flow chart of the sewing floor is shown in Figure:
Figure: Garment production process flow chart
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Garment manufacturing process consists of series of different steps. These steps are
broadly divided into two categories pre-production and production process. The
preproduction process consists of designing the garment, pattern design, sample making,
production pattern making, grading and marker making. Once the sample is approved for
commercial production, final marker is made for cutting. The production process consists of
cutting, stitching (preparatory and assembly) and finishing all these process are described here.
3.1.2 Cutting Section
In cutting section fabric rolls are inspected as per work order. These inspected rolls are Separated
on two sides as the quality pass and fail. The pass rolls are taken into the next operation whereas
the fail rolls returned to store with red tags on them. After this, depending upon the order, size
and quantity ratio; the spreader spreads the fabric for cutting. Once cutting is done, bundles
of approx 20to 30 pieces are made and fusing is done simultaneously. After fusing, all the parts
are collected and put in the cutting audit. The bundles which pass the cutting audit are
forwarded to the sewing section (i.e. preparatory section) whereas the fail bundles were
reworked for correction.
Fig: Cutting section production flow chart
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3.1.3 Preparatory Section
In preparatory section individual parts are made for assembly purpose. It consists of four
sub sections Cuff, Collar, Front and Sleeve. Each of these sections includes the series of
different operations to complete that part. These final parts are checked (or audited) so
that defective parts should not go to the assembly operations; the flow of operations for the
preparatory section is shown in Figure:
Fig: Preparatory
section production flow chart
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In current situation, the preparatory operations are aligned in a single line in order of operation
sequence. There is a continuous long table between the machines which serves the material
flow from one operation to another. Once the operator finishes his (her) operation he (she)
pushes the WIP to the next operator in the table and this process continues to the end.
3.1.4 Assembly/Sewing Section
This section consists of ten operations to make one full garment. The machines are kept in single
straight line according to the operation sequence. The final garment from last operation is fully
checked and corrected immediately for any defects. WIP movement inside the assembly is made
by the help of work aids attached with each machine. The operator, after completing his (her)
operation forwards the semi finished garments to the next machine with the help of work aids
attached to each machine. This process continues to the end of assembly line for each operation
At the same time the required parts from preparatory are carried up to the assembly section
manually. The flow chart for the assembly operation is shown in Figure:
Figure: Assembly section production flow chart
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3.1.5 Finishing Section
Finishing section consists of three major operations: buttoning and thread cleaning, ironing and
final packing. But in some garment washing is needed, in this case washing should be done
before buttoning to minimize damages in garments for longer washing cycles. In the case
company after buttoning there is thread cleaning section followed by ironing, finishing and
packing. The operation sequence for finishing section is shown in figure:
Figure: Finishing section production flow chart
3.1.6 Style Communication
Style communication between different staffs and operators is critical part of garment
manufacturing to minimize style related confusion during production. Because the fashion
changes so frequently that there may be the need of producing new styles every day, so in this
situation if the production floor people didn't get accurate information for the garment being
produced chances of mistakes are high.
To minimize difficulties of this kind, there is pre-production meeting between production floor
supervisors, machine technicians and operators. The purpose of this meeting is to communicate
about the various requirements of the upcoming style, for example critical operations on the
garment, type of machine and machine accessories required, garment specifications, type of
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seams, target production per day, total order quantity, size ratio etc. In some industries trial
production is done for every new style, this helps to minimize the confusion and rejection during
bulk production. In this system commercial production starts only after checking the final
parameters of trial production. But nowadays, due to very small order quantity (order volume)
the trial production may not be feasible for each style. In such case a clear information flow is of
great importance.
3.1.7 Existing Production Layout:
Existing layout of the sewing section (preparatory and assembly) is given flowing Figure. In this
layout, the individual parts are made in preparatory sections and these parts are then transported
manually to the assembly section. In the assembly section, these parts are assembled to shape a
final garment. There is quality check at the end of each section to avoid defective parts to the
next step. WIP movement in preparatory section is made with the help of the long table along
with machines, whereas work aids attached with each machine serves this purpose in the
assembly section.
Figure: Existing production layout of stitching section
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3.1.8 WIP Movement System
There are different types of WIP movement systems applied in garment manufacturing
industries. Some of them are traditional, for example by trolleys or by hand carry.
Some advanced factories use the slow motion conveyor to move the parts from one operation to
another operation. The conveyor is designed such that it moves according to the operation
sequence. In this system, the first operator stitches and puts the part in the conveyor, then the
next operator receives that part. He also sews it and puts it in the conveyor. In this way, the
unnecessary movement is reduced. This method is generally suitable for single piece movement.
In some industries, the work aids are designed such that the piece moves in forward directions.
When the first operator finishes his operation he gives it directly to the next operator with the
help of work aids, and this process continues. Thus the selection of the WIP movement method
depends upon the design layout, the technological advancement of the industry as well as
expertise of the personnel.
3.2 Implementation lean in Garments manufacturing
3.2.1 Implementation by focusing sewing section
The thesis consists of conducting time and motion study of stitching operations. By doing this,
stitching operations will be standardized and production targets for each operation will be
fixed. Secondly, batch processing is converted into single piece movement by the implication
of new layout (cellular manufacturing). This will serve the purpose of WIP reduction. For the
ease of operator movement between machines, sitting operations were converted into standing.
The worker multi-skilling is achieved by the concept of assembly line balancing. As in
cellular manufacturing the numbers of operators are less than the number of operations
(machines), one operator has to perform at least three to four operations. This will help to
increase operator skill. Finally, flexibility in production is achieved by reduced WIP and
multi-skilled operators, who can work on multiple styles immediately.
A. Conducting Time Study
To calculate standard time for each operation, time study is conducted in the shop floor. To do
this, the standard formal shirt is selected as a base line because operations differ from style to
style and it is difficult to correlate all these operations of individual styles. After that, at least two
operators were selected for each operation so that the difference in timing can be cross checked
from the observed data of these two operators. To get better results, each operation time is
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taken for at least 15 cycles. Once time study is made by collecting raw data the performance
rating is given to each operator and actual time is calculated for particular operation
While conducting time study some parameters are kept fixed (for example machine speed,
stitches per inch, type of machine used etc.) to get consistent results.
B. Creating Cellular Layout
In new cellular layout some operations were removed from the existing one. First, the quality
checking points were removed from the preparatory, because the operator who is producing
garments should be aware of quality standards and should work accordingly. After that,
approximately four operations were removed from the process (three operations were
combined with other operations and one operation is completely removed by changing the
operation sequence). Once operations were finalized, creation of work cells takes place. The
creation of cells is as per the operations needed to complete individual parts. For example,
in case of cuff section there are approximately six operations to make the complete cuff.
Thus all these operations related to cuff sections are grouped in one cell. Similarly,
operations of other sections are also grouped in their respective cells and given individual name.
Total, five cells were created (four cells in preparatory section and one cell in assembly) to
complete the garment. The cellular layout suggested in this research is selected for single piece
flow because of cost effectiveness, operator skill enhancement as well as to shorten the
time to implement it. Because there is no need for ordering or installing any new equipment, it
is just re-arranging the available machines inside the shop floor. This work of single
piece movement can also be done with the help of automation (like slow speed conveyor
and hanger system) but it may take considerable time to install, significant amount of cost
as well as time to train the employees about the working principle of the system. Even after
using the automation system (slow speed conveyor or hanger) the operator multi-skilling
cannot be achieved because in this case also operators are in fixed allocated operations
whereas the conveyor rotates pieces automatically, it serves only the single piece movement but
not the multi-skilling.
C. Work Balancing between Operators
After defining work flow and creating cellular layout, the challenge is division of work between
operators. The work should be divided in such a way that each operator should get equal work
load. This will motivate operators in their work as a result of which there is improvement in
productivity.
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To achieve this a few elements were considered as key elements and acted accordingly as
below.
Fig: Recommended sewing section layout
1. All the sitting operations were converted into standing operations. This will help to travel
between machines so that one operator can handle multiple machines within the cell. This is very
difficult in case of sitting operations.
2. Operators should be trained for at least three to four operations of their respective
work cells. This will help to rotate operators between different operations.
3. To create pull system, the capacity of assembly is made marginally higher than preparatory
operations. In this way every time when assembly operators are out of pieces, everybody’s
attention will go to preparatory section cells and they will produce more for assembly operators.
4. The numbers of operators are less than the number of work stations (machine) for rotating
operators between different operations; this helps in balancing the work load between
operators.
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5. Finally, work is divided among operators of individual cells as per SAM. This is a little bit
difficult job because different operations have different timings. So the worker who is
working in a job which takes less time should not build up WIP, rather should change his
(her) machine and do the next consecutive operation. In this way, all the workers will rotate
inside the cell in zigzag pattern to balance the work. This way of moving operators inside the
work cell is called floating balancing
D. Trial Production on New Layout
There are a few challenges in this process because this layout is new to the people who have
been working for years. The first difficulty is because of conversion of sitting operations
to standing. Because operators were habitual of operating sitting machines and when these
sitting machines were converted into standing they lost their control on pedal and it took some
time to train them. Secondly, for work balancing purpose one operator has to perform multiple
operations by changing machines, whereas operators don’t like to work on multiple machines
because they feel that management is overloading work on them.
3.2.2 Implementation by analysis in Apparel sector
The learning’s below are from analysis of a few organizations in the apparel sector involved with lean
initiatives:
A. Always a ‘big picture’ approach
This model emphasizes that an organization should always focus on long term thinking in
business process re-engineering while respecting its people and partners in their journey.
Some organizations may try to understand and implement lean without knowing what the
organization as a whole would want to achieve. For example the organization would want to
move in to Just in Time (JIT) production considering that it enhances speed. However based on
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the organization’s processes, the cost of supporting a team may increase drastically where the
cost of operations will be impacted.
The way to start would be to understand the ‘bigger pain’ points in the organization as a whole
and then think what is needed to change as priority. For example, if the organization is suffering
from severe working capital constraints, changing the floor plan with lean will not be the answer
but instead to get back to the basics.
B. Focus on systematic elimination of waste and not just waste elimination:
The significant impact from lean comes with the focus on elimination of seven kinds of waste in
an organization’s process (Schonberg, 1986). This is an area where the authors found that most
organizations have benefited in operations.
The principles will direct an organization to differentiate and eliminate activities which are nonvalue adding.
For example, there is a major contribution to an organization’s working capital from its raw
material sourcing and stock holding. The lean theory helps the organization understand the
causes of non-value add activities such as stock holding and develop mechanisms to reduce
same.
Many companies in the industry have originated from mass manufacturing and the stock holding
days averaged between 65 to 85 days. With lean implementation they have managed to reduce
stock holding to an average between 20 to 40 days, which creates a positive contribution towards
working capital management and space saving.
Example: Space savings from managing inventory/supply chain logically.
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C. Get management attention and use the whole organization
Many organizations start lean with a selected consultative team and allocate the total
responsibility on making the change while not necessarily providing the due authority. Lean
leads to more of a cultural change in an organization. Culture involves people and the whole
team. Therefore the responsibility cannot be given to a focused group but must be with the total
management. One may ask why it should only be the management. The answer to that is the
culture of this country. Organizations in Sri Lanka are driven with hierarchical layers no matter
how open the culture would be. Therefore it’s the management that will drive the change in any
organization and not the workers. However for ‘change’ to work, one may have to consult all
levels.
D. Review financial benefits but don’t push for targets without understanding how they
impact performance.
This subject might become controversial for some but the correct implementation of lean is
expected to deliver positive financial results. However pushing ideas with a financial target in
mind might not be the best approach. This could lead to divided attention and sub-optimization.
The financial figures should be reviewed as a feed-back mechanism, where it indicates whether
the selected initiatives are working or not. For an example, the company might put targets on
stock holding days and control the inventory to manage working capital. However in an apparel
manufacturing organization, predicting the future issues and working to a plan with 100%
accuracy is not possible/ practical. Therefore there needs to be some level of planning for
contingencies.
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Strict control on inventory will result in a ‘sewing line open’ situation if the ‘in-house materials’
are rejected due to quality concerns. In such a situation, the cost of ‘stopping production’ could
be much greater than the lean initiative.
Therefore there should be a practical approach to what you would wish to objectively target for.
E. Make it simple
This would be the key to success in lean implementation. The lean theory may sound very
complex but the knowledge it gives will be basic and very practical for a learned individual.
However when cascading the information to the next level, convert the message to a known,
simple language rather than using complex words.
People should find lean to be easy to understand and implement rather than seeing it as a
complex animal.
3.3 BENEFITS OF LEAN MANUFACTURING
The implementation of lean manufacturing through trying to make value flow at the pull of the
customer (Just In Time) prevents and eliminates waste in your processes. Waste being
categorized as part of the seven wastes: Transport, Inventory, Motion, Waiting, Over-processing,
Overproduction, and Defects.
Many studies have shown that we only add value for around 5% of the time within our
operations; the remaining 95% is waste! Imagine if you could remove that 95% wasted time and
effort.
Typically Lean will improve:
 Quality performance, fewer defects and rework (in house and at customer).
 Fewer Machine and Process Breakdowns.
 Lower levels of Inventory.
 Greater levels of Stock Turnover.
 Less Space Required.
 Higher efficiencies, more output per man hour.
 Improved delivery performance.
 Faster Development.
 Greater Customer Satisfaction.
 Improved employee morale and involvement.
 Improved Supplier Relations.
 HIGHER PROFITS!
 INCREASED BUSINESS!
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3.4 Why Lean Is So Successful
Lean manufacturing talks about Optimizing and Eliminating wastes, rather than minimizing.
When we are trying to minimize one type of waste another will go high. For an example if we
are trying to minimize the machine idling time it can increase the Work In Progress as machines
are on over production. At the end of the day the net out come on the organization will be
negative. This is why Lean promotes Elimination and Optimization. This may be the Core
Concept of Lean Manufacturing.
An Organization which applies Lean Manufacturing must understand clearly what is a waste?
What is meant by improving? Etc. therefore it is very important to have a Clear cut definitions
about the Key Words in Lean Manufacturing. This is clearly done in the Lean Manufacturing. It
Answers the questions like, what is a waste?
One of the major concerns of the Lean Manufacturing is the WIP. But there are no techniques
appear to eliminate WIP directly. This is a very important example to show the Lean Thinking of
Treating the Cause Not The Effect.
Lean Manufacturing believes in continuous and steady improvement, rather than in Rapid
improvements. This introduces the process sustainability and the involvement of all level of
people. In Lean Manufacturing there is a role to be played by the workers in the improvement
and innovation. This is not so in the conventional ways of management where the innovation and
decision making are completely a responsibility of Managers.
Continuous improvements in the organization and involvement of the employees in the process
of management decision making will motivate the employees. This will release the
Organizational Synergy into work. This at the end will become the driving force of the
organization.
Culture of team working is one of the major improvements Lean Manufacturing promotes for an
organization. Two people can collectively give more out puts than the sum of their individual out
puts. This is the Asian way of thinking about work. This is promoted through team incentives
and team recognition, unlike in the western way of management where individual performances
are given more emphasis.
Participation of the all levels of employees in the process of decision making is one of the major
improvements made by the Lean Manufacturing. This drive out the fear among the workers and
made it easier to work with the decisions as they are a part of the process of making decisions.
People often have more to offer than their physical strength, to the organization. They have a
brain and a heart as well. This philosophy really worked in the organizations where Lean
Manufacturing was practiced.
The single most Important Effect of Lean Manufacturing is the Cyclic Effect of All Its
Interconnected Processes. They work in harmony and improvement in one place will improve the
system as whole. Therefore with the time Processes quires Momentum and will start to Run On
Their Own. Therefore they become self driven. These are few of the identified advantages of
lean manufacturing. There can be many more advantages which you will experience by
implementing Lean Manufacturing in your
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3.5 Lean Manufacturing for today’s world
Most of the people think lean manufacturing is the best way to earn more profit. Yes it is true.
Lean manufacturing will save you costs, increase the productivity, improve the quality and will
shorten the lead time. All of these will save and money and obviously give you more profits. But
I believe lean manufacturing can do much more than this to specially today’s world. Let me
explain why I believe this.
In this world there are more than six billion people. This population increases very rapidly. But
the resource this world has is limited. Even these limited resources are consumed and degraded
very rapidly. If you closely look at the problems the world is facing today like wars and
environmental problems most of these problems are due to the limited availability and in
appropriate use of the resources the world has.
Think how much of raw materials are wasted in the process of a fiber becoming a finished
garment. It is said that cost for the fiber in a finished garment is less than 1% of the value of the
garment. Still much of the garment weight is consist of the fiber.
If car engine is made 60% efficient the gulf war might have been avoided. Do you agree? ☺. If
the way of garment manufacturing can be changed, most of the environmental problems in the
manufacturing countries will end. If we transport the vegetables carefully, war for the land and
hunger in many countries will end.
I have only given you few examples. Think deeply you will find millions of examples. One day I
started thinking about this, actually I felt very sad. Can we waste these precious resources? I do
not think so.
This is why I believe lean manufacturing is a system that must be practiced worldwide. At least
the core concept of waste elimination must be obeyed in each and every organization in this
world. Waste is a common enemy regardless of the nationality, race or religion. It creates
pressure among the Societies. It makes the deference between the rich and poor much wider. It
creates global warming. It creates war. Find out, there are millions of problems resulted from
wastes in many forms.
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CHAPTER-04
RESULT ANALYSIS & DISCUSSION
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RESULT ANALYSIS & DISCUSSION
The lean practices discussed in the above sections are in different levels of implementation in the
case company as it is a never ending journey. In identifying the impact of lean practices in any
organization, it is essential to have industry specific indicators. But the published literature lacks
such lean indicators specific to the apparel sector. Hence, the analysis of results is based on the
specific quantitative performance indicators used by the subject. It is interesting to note that
almost all the KPI(key performance indicator) used by the subject have shown favorable trends
during the lean implementation process. The following sections discuss the impact on
performance and the culture of the organization considering the KPI variations over a period of
two and half years of implementation.
4.1 Fabric Utilization Ratio
Waste minimization and quality improvement activities have mainly driven the improvement of
the fabric Utilization ratio. As the fabric cost is the largest contributor to the cost of a garment,
increase in this ratio has a direct impact on improving profitability. The lean implementation has
enabled the company to achieve above 99% in the fabric Utilization ratio which is a gigantic
saving to the company. TPM, QCO, VSM and Kaizen activities helped to minimize the number of
defected garments which contributed to this exceptional performance.
4.2 Delivered On Time and Delivered In Full
These indicators reflect the benefits of lean to the downstream participants of the supply chain. It
measures how often customers get the required quantity at the required time. Both KPI(key
performance indicator) reflect high performance (above 99.5%) of the case company with a
favorable trend as well. The value stream mapping tool was used to identify the non-value
adding activities in the production process and using the other lean tools the value addition was
gradually improved ultimately resulting in superior performance. The efforts on lean helped to
achieve improved customer satisfaction while the above KPIs could be used to win new orders
catering wider customer base.
4.3 Floor Space Savings
The company was able to save over 20,000 square feet of total floor space during the period of
lean implementation. This was mainly achieved through 6S activities and kaizen activities which
contributed largely. Furthermore, practicing the demand pull production facilitated to reduce
WIP freeing more space for value adding activities. This eventually leads to reduce the wasted
motion of both workers and material allowing them to use the recovered space for alternative
value adding activities.
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Elimination of non-value adding activities and strict cost reduction practices helped to achieve a
drastic cost reduction of 10% for the group during the last year of study. Implementation of
lean in the case company together with other companies of the group has resulted a 30%
overall reduction of lead time. It is evident that the case company has achieved drastic performance
improvements with the lean implementation.
4.4 Reduction of Rework Level
The rework level has been decreased by 80% over existing trends. In existing production,
the rework level is approximately 5% but after implementation of recommended layout
the rework level falls to 1%. The main reason for rework reduction is due to reduction in WIP
and balanced work cells. Due to low inventory, mistakes are clearly visible and if any defect is
found in the garment, it will be cleared inline, and the piece comes out as a final product. In
case of batch processing, until the defect is noticed operators may have piled up bunch
of WIP and it is very difficult to clear defective parts. In some cases, there may be new style
running in the next section before finding defects. This is the most difficult work for clearing
defective parts. The older the WIP becomes, the more difficult to clear because there is
high possibility of mixing trims (threads, buttons, labels etc.) and confusion regarding style
related specifications.
4.5 Operator Skill Improvement
In case of batch processing, due to sitting operation one operator works in one operation only for
long time. There is rare chance for operators to do multiple jobs; they do multiple jobs
only in critical situations so they don’t have much knowledge of another job. They may work
more efficiently on the job they were trained but have lack of knowledge for other jobs
in the same production line. Whereas in case of cellular manufacturing all operators
should have to learn at least three to four operations to balance the cell. This is achieved
by rotating operators in between machines for the smooth flow of pieces. In previous batch
production, there were only a few operators who know multiple operations, so when the critical
operators were absent total output was affected drastically, whereas in case of cellular
layout the output will remain consistent irrespective of these factors.
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4.6 Graphical Representation for Clear Understanding:
4.6.1 Material Transfer:

Time taken to transfer 100 pieces was 100 seconds. After Implementation it took only 82
seconds for 100 pieces.
100-82=18 seconds. Therefore Percentage reduction of material transfer is 18.
4.6.2 Travelling Distance:
Distance from Cutting floor to production floor:

The Travelling distance from cutting floor to production floor was 68 feet. After implementation
the distance was reduced to 10 feet. Therefore reduction of distance from cutting floor to
production floor is 85.3%.
Distance from Cutting floor to inspection floor:
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The Travelling distance from production floor to inspection floor was 40 feet. After
implementation the distance was reduced to 1 foot. Therefore reduction of distance from
production floor to inspection floor is 97.5%.
Distance from inspection floor to packing floor:

The Travelling distance from inspection floor to packing floor was 10 feet. After implementation
the distance was reduced to 1 foot. Therefore reduction of distance from inspection floor to
packing floor is 90%.
4.6.3 Load Carrying Capacity:
The load carrying capacity was 19.2 Kg. After implementation the capacity was reduced to 4 kg.
Therefore the load carrying capacity is reduced to79.17%.
4.6.4 Production Rate:
At the earlier stage the production rate was19600 pieces/shift. After implementation the
production rate was increased to 27440 pieces/shift. Therefore 40.0 % of production rate is
increased.
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4.6.5 Setup time (for new style):
In the existing state the time required for change of setup from one style to another was 28
minutes. Later it was reduced to 8 min 10 sec. Therefore the setup time percentage is reduced to
70.84.
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CHAPTER-05
CONCLUSION & REFERENCE
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5.1 Conclusion
Finally, this Thesis paper has the proof of advantages when applying lean principles to the
garment production floor. According to our familiarity, it is the prime time that lean thinking has
successfully implemented in the garment production floor.
Due to increased customer expectations and severe global competition, the Bangladesh garment
industries try to increase productivity at lower cost and to produce with best product and service
quality. Under these considerations, the authors have implemented lean manufacturing
techniques to improve the process environment with reasonable investment. In this paper, the
effectiveness of lean principles is substantiated in systematic manner with the help of various
tools, such as Value Stream Maps, JIT, cellular manufacturing, kaizen, standard work and visual
management, etc.
Even though, the complete success of the application of lean thinking in the extensive run
depends on close understanding between the management and production floor personnel.
Effective management information systems are required for instilling proper organizational
values and continuous improvement programs. If these management principles are fully
integrated with production floor principles, then lean systems can be applied efficiently to attain
the maximum output.
However, it is proven that efforts taken in implementing lean manufacturing in a well planned
manner will be a worthwhile investment despite the difficulties faced. Based on the positive
trends of qualitative and quantitative performance indicators, it can be concluded that
organizations in the bulk apparel production industry could achieve a positive cultural shift and
gain financial benefits through the implementation of lean manufacturing practices
5.2 Recommendation for Future Research
In this research, only the stitching operations of a formal shirt are standardized due to time
limitation and availability of running style during the time of research. But this work can be
extended for any new style and data bank should be prepared for other styles also. This will
minimize the duplication of work and it is easier to calculate standard time of new style by
reallocation of some operations over existing.
In the research the idea of cellular manufacturing has been implemented to increase the
productivity. This can be further improved by using the system of group incentive and reward
systems. Similarly, the sitting operations have been converted into standing operations for the
better movement of operators in between the machines, from the perspective of work balancing
and uniform work load distribution. But it is necessary to understand whether this standing
operation is appropriate from the ergonomic point of view or not. Similarly if there is any short
(long) term health problem of standing operation or not. Because most of the workers were ladies
and this mass consists of some pregnant women also. So this issue needs to be reviewed some
other way also, rather than productivity point of view only.
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References:
1. http://www.onlineclothingstudy.com/2013/06/8-preferred-lean-manugfacturingtools.html
2. http://www.cimaglobal.com/Thought-leadership/Newsletters/Regional/The-CIMA-EdgeSouth-Asia-and-Middle-East/20111/November--December-2011/Lean-management-inthe-garment-industry/
3. www.theseus.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/34405/Paneru_Naresh.pdf
4. http://www.thinkinglean.com/img/files/PAPER1.pdf
5. Womack, J.P., Jones, D.T. and Ross, D. (1990).The Machine That Changed the World.
6. Canada: Macmillan Publishing Company.
7. Shahram, T. and Cristian, M.The Impact of Lean Operations on the Chinese
Manufacturing Performance. Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management Vol. 22
No. 2, 2011, p. 223-240.
8. Shahidul, M. I. and Syed Shazali, S. T. Dynamics of manufacturing Productivity:
9. Lesson Learnt from Labor Intensive Industries. Journal of Manufacturing Technology
Management Vol. 22 No. 5, 2011, p. 664-678.
10. Lucy Daly, M.B. and Towers, N. Lean or Agile: A Solution for Supply Chain
Management in the Textile and Clothing Industry. International Journal of Operations &
Production Management Vol. 24 No. 2, 2004, p. 151-170.
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ABBREVIATIONS
CAD: Computer Aided Design
CAM: Computer Aided Manufacturing
CI: Continuous Improvement
FSVSM: Future State Value Stream Mapping
ISVSM: Ideal State Value Stream Mapping
JIT: Just in Time
MTM: Methods Time Measurement
PDCA: Plan Do Check Act
PFD: Personal Fatigue and Delay
PMTS: Predetermined Motion Time Systems
PSVSM: Present State Value Stream Mapping
SAM: Standard Allowed Minutes
SMED: Single Minute Exchange of Dies
TMU: Time Measurement Unit
TPM: Total Productive Maintenance
TPS: Toyota Production System
VSM: Value Stream Mapping
WIP: Work in Progress
LIT: lean implementation team
SPC: Statistical Process Control
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APPENDIX- I
Time Study Data Collection Sheet:
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APPENDIX- II
5s audit Score Sheet Floor Sewing Section:
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APPENDIX- III
Line Graph:
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APPENDIX- IV
Sewing Floor Layout:
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APPENDIX- V
Photo Gallery:
Before implementing 5s on Fabric Store:
After implementing 5s on Fabric Store:
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Before implementing 5s on Sewing Section:
After implementing 5s on Sewing Section:
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Cellular Line Balancing:
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