Lean Process in Architectural Design
In a small size business located in an underdeveloped country that is poor in resources, a company manufactures wooden chairs where the wood workers do not store the tools are usage in the assigned places due to their lack of knowledge. The assortment of tools leads to a haphazardness at the workplace where several workers require the same tools but do not know the exact location of the item and spend several minutes in finding it. The allotment of tools in every bench station results in a continuous flow of work rather than chaos and anarchy. If the work load is divided, the entire process of fabricating the chairs is spanned over a day, but due to the haphazardness, it normally takes more than 36 hours for the final product to evolve. Four people are involved in the process (the wood cutter and shaper, the joint maker, the joiner, and the cushion attacher).
It is anticipated that with the implementation of lean manufacturing, there will a significant increase in the productivity of the workers bringing the total time down to 24 hours. Also, the cleaning of the workspace will provide the workers with more freedom to move and work. Cluttered and unwanted goods that have accumulated on the shop floor will be removed in the process of cleaning. Proper system of tooling will reduce the chances of mixing up of tools that will minimize the chances of error; thus, enhancing the quality of the final product.
The floor manager and forty woodworkers and craftsmen subordinate the owner of the business. The ten teams should consist of four individuals working on cutting, joining, crafting, and aesthetic up-gradation. The inter-functional teams enhance productivity due to coordination.
Value Stream Map of the entire process of Wooden Chair Fabrication
The introduction of lean manufacturing at all levels of the process will lead to a smooth workflow. Moreover, it is recommended that direct information flow should take place between the workers and the supplier via just-in-time production methods. It would greatly minimize the time taken to build the products by taking out the paper work and excessive wastage of time instilled by the control department. The role of the production control should only be limited to supervisory activities. The purchasing of new tool holders and sorting gadgets will generate profits that will out-scale the initial investments.
Current State / Future State / Ideal State (optional)Cost / High / Reduced to medium range / Minimum
Quality / Medium / High / High
Product Performance, Delivery, etc. / Highly time consuming / Within time limits / Well below limits
Labor Hours / 36 hours / 24 hours / 12 hours
Travel Distance / High / Low / Low
In summation, the process of de-cluttering and proper identification of tools, workstations, and work teams will culminate in higher productivity and time reduction for the execution of a particular order. There should be 10 sets of tools for each workstation so that none of the workers sit idly for hours for another person to complete their task. Non-identified tools should be thrown away immediately along with the excess wood pieces that might not be used in the future. The results of improvement will be visible within a few days as soon as the workers get accustomed to their new settings. It is expected that the workload will minimize for the workers with an increase in orders, as they will deliver high quality in negligible time.
Works Cited
Freire, J., & Alarcon, L. F. (2002). Achieving Lean Design Process: Improvement Methodology. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 128(3), 248-256.
Emmitt, S., Sander, D., & Christoffersen, A. K. (2004). Implementing value through lean design management. Proceedings 14th Annual Conference of the International Group for Lean Construction (IGLC), (ss. Copenhagen, Denmark).
Ballard, G., & Zabelle, T. (2000). Lean Design: Process, Tools, & Techniques. Lean Construction Institute.
Ballard, G., Tommelein, I., Koskela, L., & Howell, G. (2002). Lean construction tools and techniques . I R. Best, & G. de Valence, Design and Construction: Building in Value (ss. 227-255). Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann.
My instructor feedback was this :
How is the process described related to architectural design?
Organization chart not provided.
VSM needs more detail to be useful.
The purpose of the proposal is not to identify solutions, but opportunities.