Business Case
A pump manufacturing unit supplying pumps for both OEM customers and its own brand experienced a sharp rise in market demand. The organization needed to increase output quickly but had to do so within the same facility, equipment, and workforce. Our consultants partnered with the leadership team to improve productivity using Lean principles over a structured improvement program.
Our team of experts began with a detailed current-state assessment to understand the value stream, process flow, and operational constraints across the assembly lines. The goal was to unlock the inherent capacity of the existing facility and meet growing customer demand without major capital investment.
Current State Observations
- The shop floor carried nearly 20 days of raw material and work-in-progress inventory, occupying valuable production space.
- Operators frequently walked long distances to fetch tools and materials, while pumps were moved multiple times between tables and workstations.
- Material flow across the shop floor followed a zig-zag path, and defective pumps were stored under tables without any formal defect tracking or analysis.
Solution Synopsis
- Our team introduced single-piece flow from assembly through painting by redesigning the layout to enable smooth, unidirectional movement of pumps between workstations.
- We redesigned and balanced the assembly line with seven workstations and improved workplace organization to reduce motion and non-value-adding activities.
- Our consultants implemented kit formation so that all required components were delivered to workstations in advance, enabling a ‘no kit, no start’ production policy.
- We streamlined material flow, created a dedicated rework area for defect tracking and analysis, and reorganized shop floor space by creating a centralized store room.
Outcomes
Lean flow improvements helped the organization unlock capacity and significantly improve delivery performance.
Before
- Excess inventory and inefficient layout resulted in long travel distances, multiple handling, and poor material flow.
- Operators frequently searched for parts and tools, leading to motion waste and lower productivity.
- Defects were not systematically recorded or analyzed, and production was frequently disrupted by raw material shortages.
After
- Single-piece flow and a redesigned layout enabled smoother production flow and reduced unnecessary movement on the shop floor.
- Kit formation ensured materials were available at the workstation before production started, eliminating search time and interruptions.
- Output increased from approximately 3,000 pumps per month to 4,000 pumps per month while OTIF delivery performance improved significantly.
