We all strive to perform our work better, faster, and by making the most of the resources available to us. To achieve this in a factory and take a significant step towards becoming a Smart Factory, applying Lean Manufacturing can be highly beneficial. But how can this be accomplished? Here are some key insights on the subject.

Agility, productivity, efficiency… these are words that constantly resonate in the minds of business and production plant managers. Countless pages have been written to describe methodologies aimed at achieving these goals, and a significant portion of that ink has been dedicated to writing about “Lean Manufacturing.”

Here, we do not use ink—after all, we are paperless—but we have certainly put our keyboards to work to bring you some of the fundamental applications of Lean Manufacturing. Let’s begin!

Lean Manufacturing, or lean production, is a philosophy focused on eliminating anything that does not add value within the production chain. Its implementation leads to higher-quality products and more agile, efficient processes.

This is a concept we have already discussed extensively in other articles, but it is always useful to refresh some key insights as a prelude to exploring its practical application.

1. Create a value stream map
2. Data management
3. Demand-Driven production
4. Just in Time
5. 5s
6. Kanban
7. Single Minute Exchange if Die

This concept, also known by its English term, Value Stream Mapping (VSM), involves graphically representing all the procedures that take place in the manufacturing process through a diagram.

In this way, we can carefully analyze each step, determining whether it truly adds value and, if not, modifying or eliminating it. Special attention should be paid to transfers between stages, as this is often where the greatest waste occurs.

• Elapsed times
• Cycle time
• Performance
• Cumulative flow
• Etc.

In this manufacturing system, also known as pull, production volumes are determined by demand, meaning that items are only produced when there are orders to fulfill.

With demand-driven production, a more flexible production process is achieved, making it adaptable to potential future changes. It also allows for greater scalability of equipment based on the project and reduces costs in raw materials and storage.

The Just in Time concept is closely linked to the pull production system we just discussed.

With demand-driven production, we manufacture smaller batches, which allows for more meticulous control of the associated quality parameters. As a result, manufacturing waste is reduced, and we are able to strictly meet the planned deadlines.

This philosophy of the 5S is primarily based on the concept of standardization. Well-defined and standardized processes tend to have fewer errors and complications. Its name comes from the Japanese initials of the five steps required for its implementation, which are:

• Seiri
• Seiton
• Seiso
• Seiketsu
• Shitsuke

If you wish to dive deeper into each of these steps and the world of 5S, we invite you to read 5S and Poka Yoke in Industry: Improving Process Quality.

This Kanban technique primarily consists of two key elements:

• A series of cards
• A control panel

The cards, which can be physical or preferably virtual, are associated with each part and record useful information for the operators in charge of it. This information could range from a description to its origin, destination, dates, and more.

On the other hand, the Kanban board is divided into columns, each representing the status of each part within the production chain.

This Lean principle is based on the idea that a machine change within a production line should not exceed a total of 10 minutes, providing a significant increase in flexibility.

To implement this, the design must distinguish between the times related to operations that can be performed while the machine is stopped (internal) and those that can be done while the machinery is running (external).

Although the demands for quality and productivity are high in any industry, in some, such as aerospace, due to its specific characteristics, these requirements reach extremely high levels.

We are talking about a mode of transportation where safety must prevail, which leads to the pursuit of perfection in every part and component of the aircraft.

From our own experience, we can discuss how we have successfully facilitated the implementation of Lean Manufacturing measures at Alestis Aerospace, one of the three TIER 1 companies operating in Spain, through the implementation of Polaris Industry.

The concepts of Shipyard 4.0 and Port 4.0 (also known as Smart Port) are becoming increasingly prevalent. In this context, Lean Manufacturing also has much to contribute, as the quality standards in this field are also extremely high.

Public institutions are not unaffected by this situation and are therefore actively developing measures to drive the digitalization of the naval sector. On one hand, there is the Port 4.0 Plan for the digital transformation of Spanish ports, as well as the Shipyard 4.0 Digital Transformation Plan.

One of the sectors that can benefit the most from Lean methods is the agrifood industry. Climate change and the ever-growing global population demand maximizing the efficiency of agrifood resources to their highest potential.

In this specific case, we can classify the wastes of Lean Farming as:

• Defects: infertile fields or deceased animals.
• Overproduction: producing more than we can sell.
• Delays.
• Idle time.
• Unnecessary transportation and movement.
• Storing excessive products and raw materials.
• Excessive processing.

In order for agrifood industries to optimize their resources, we have made available Polaris Farm, a specific module of Polaris that is flexible, automated, interconnected, and intelligent, designed to improve the agricultural production system. It is worth noting that thanks to Polaris Farm, we received support from the DIVA Project.

You have seen how Lean Manufacturing is a very broad, versatile, and adaptable working methodology for any production environment. To implement it, you will need powerful tools that allow you to unlock its full potential, and we are here to help you with that.

Do you want to know what we do and how we do it? Visit our success stories and ask us anything you need to know.