Management of non-value-added activities to minimize lead time using value stream mapping in the steel industry

Manufacturing system that helps in eliminating Non-Value-Added
activities (NVAs) in a process by clearly exposing the areas where
there is waste in the Value stream (Information and material flow).
Value Stream Mapping is a standardized way to document the steps
in a process and systematically analyze the steps to develop
improvement plans. The “current state map” is a foundation for the
improved “future state map” that is developed after eliminating the
NVAs identified in the current state map and thereby decreasing the
lead time. It can be implemented not only in manufacturing sectors
but also in many different sectors such as IT sectors, Healthcare
sectors and government service sectors to identify and eliminate the
processes or operations that do not add any value to the product or
in other words, the processes for which the customer is not willing
to pay. The main objective of this work is to study the process flow
of a part family in a steel industry located in Southern part of India
using value stream mapping and eliminate the NVAs in the process
by making some process and layout changes which will reduce the
lead time and increase the profit of the organization. First, suitable
value stream mapping is carried out for parts with similar kinds of
existing manufacturing processes. Then all the NVAs present in the
flow of the process are identified. Then, certain changes, such as
converting the manufacturing layout into a cellular manufacturing
layout and introducing continuous heat treatment processes, are
made in order to eliminate the NVAs. The total lead time reduction
for each part varies from 14.55 hours to 33.41 hours which is a
significant amount of reduction. This paper also reviews the
existing literature on Value Stream Mapping and how its
implementation helps organizations successfully eliminate the waste
and take them towards becoming a successful Lean Enterprise.