Cellular Manufacturing, Benefits of Cellular Manufacturing, Steps of Cell Design, Working in a Manufacturing Cell

Cellular Manufacturing

Equipment & workstations arranged in a sequence that supports smooth material flow through the process, with minimal transport or delay

• Derived from the word Cell (Cell consists of people, & machines or workstations required for performing the process steps)
• Most work stations are close together so that less time is required to move parts
• Helps companies achieve two important goals of lean

• One-piece flow 

• High-variety production

Reported Benefits of Cellular Manufacturing

• Reduce Production & Quality Control Cost by 80%
• Reduce Setup Time & Throughput time by 70%
• Reduce Overdue orders by 82%
• Reduce Raw Materials Inventory by 42%
• Reduce Work-in-process Inventory by 62%
• Reduce Finished Goods Inventory by 60%

Steps of Cell Design

Document the current process

• Collect Product & Production Data, Document Current Layout & Flow
• Time the Process

Define the product family & calculate TAKT Time for the cell

• Calculate Process Capacity & Takt Time
• Create Standard Work Combination Chart

Balance the work to create flow between work-stations that meets demand

• Use the operator balance chart (Cycle Time / Takt Time)
• Use the standard work combination chart

Design the cell for ergonomics

• Team brainstorming to improve Man, Method, Machines & Materials
• Plan Possible Layouts, Move the Machines & Document the New Process

Test & de-bug the cell design

• Test run parts through the cell
• Observe operation steps & timing, Re-distribute work to achieve balance

Working in a Manufacturing Cell

Operating in a U-Shaped Cell

• The operator’s path is like a U or C

Becoming Multi-skilled/Multi-machine Operators

• Need to learn how to run different types of equipment to support the process
• Flexibility to change how people work together

Cross-Training for Maximum Flexibility

• Enables employees to perform different functions within a process 

Moving with The Work 

• An operator needs to work standing up rather than sitting down

Using Small, Flexible Machines

• Smaller machines save space & less expensive

Using Autonomation (Jidoka) to Eliminate Machine Watching