Assembly line productivity improvement as re-engineered by MOST

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to address and solve operational problems of an automotive industry in reaching production target by adopting Maynard Operation Sequence Technique (MOST) as lean and productivity improvement strategies. Design/methodology/approach In the undertaken case of auto-car rear window assembly line, a recurring production shortfall in fulfilling the daily demand is seemingly due to inappropriate work method. Initial observation of the operations led to suspect certain lapses in initiatives to adopt the time standards, to reduce or eliminate non-value added motions, to design suitable aisle and to assign tasks among workstations in a balanced manner. Subsequently an attempt is made to pinpoint the causes of poor performance and the bottlenecks through process flow analysis and time study by applying MOST. The elemental tasks are closely examined for possible reduction of workstation times by choosing efficient work methods with ergonomic features. Thus appropriate hand tools, jigs and fixture with nominal investment are prescribed to incorporate in the assembly works. The operational changes as steered by the MOST application have enhanced the workflow with a shorter cycle time which led to a substantial increase in productivity. Findings The productivity of the assembly line is increased by more than 29 percent from the earlier capacity through the MOST application which is deemed to meet the current level of demand. Originality/value The adopted framework for recognizing the effectiveness of MOST to expose and rectify the flaws in work methods without much investment is expected to be beneficial for a manufacturer in securing the competitiveness.

Scoping Review of the Work Measurement for Improving Processes and Simulation of Standards

“…In contrast it should be noticed in two articles [ 6 , 21 ], some recommendations were reflected. They were about the determination of standards for pre-established times since the calculated time was much less than the real-time.…”

“…D. Patel [ 33 ], A. Karim [ 21 ], Y. Fang [ 11 ] researched production lines, the objective they sought was to reduce operating times and control the cost of labor. Through the application of the MOST technique and the analysis of cycle times and bottlenecks, they achieved the stated objective.…”

MOST as a tool to Support the Deployment of New Manufacturing Products

“…After the analysis result being converted into conventional time units, the so-called normal time is obtained. The standard time is obtained after applying the tolerances (concessions for personal needs, fatigue, flexion, standing work, among others), since MOST analyzes the activities considering an operator with 100% efficiency [25]. According to [26], tolerances have traditionally been determined by adding adequate percentages for each factor in an empirical way.…”

“…The manufacturing cost comprises the sum of the expenses with goods and services applied to the manufacture of a product [25]. In this way, the calculation of the manufacturing cost of the product is given by the sum of the Direct Labor (DL), Direct Materials (DM) and Ge neral Manufacturing Expenses (GME) costs, as stated in Eqs.…”

Productivity Improvement of An Assembly Line using MOST and Heuristic

“…This might affect the delivery made to the customer in several ways such as failure to meet the demand, delayed delivery, etc. Hence, it is always essential to maintain proper metrics for calculations to ensure reliability of planning [5]. Most of the manufacturing industries including the automobile industry involve a huge assembly process.…”