Improving the time-based performance of the preparatory stage in textile manufacturing process with value stream mapping

Abstract

PurposeThe evaluation of time-based performance is a valued approach in the lean management thinking which is based on delivering value from customer's perspective. This approach contributes for long-term competitiveness and success in today's business environment. The focus of this study is to analyse the cycle time and manufacturing lead time with value stream mapping (VSM) in the preparatory stage of the textile fabric manufacturing process and to identify and improve the non-value adding activities in the value chain (VC). The study presents an insight on the translation of performance improvement across functions and how upstream supply chain (SC) segments can be linked in the performance improvement program. It also covers how the application of VSM improves visibility and planning flexibility in textile fabric manufacturing process.Design/methodology/approachThe time-based performance was evaluated using VSM and recording of the activity times in the existing process. The impact of the quality of supplier's raw material was also measured contributing to identify the strategy for procurement and the means to establish a feedback system to the upstream segments of the SC. The methodology of VSM, observation of the practice and the expertise of the individuals involved with the process were utilised to develop the value stream maps and to identify value adding activities, non-value adding activities, existing gaps and plans for improvement.FindingsThe means for improving the time-based performance were identified and their impact was measured. The factors responsible for improvement are related to the production system and with the procurement strategy. The improvement was achieved in terms of available capacity utilisation, balancing the work flow in the preparatory stages, visibility of the process by measuring its capability and flexibility for the planning function. The study revealed that the effectiveness and enhancement of VSM and related tools should be adopted to address the issue of limiting success rates of long term and repeating application of such tools. Continuous improvement, innovations and the systematic embedding of VSM in the process life cycle provide the ways for achieving long-term success.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper presents a real and in-depth study on the application of VSM in the textile manufacturing process. The scope of the study is broad; it covers activities across functions with actual estimates of activity times in the manufacturing process for the focused value streams. It offers researchers the opportunity to analyse the translation of productivity improvement across functions and how upstream SC segments can be linked in a performance improvement program.Practical implicationsThe study offers useful insight for the managers in textile manufacturing and other sectors for improving the time-based performance and achieving higher utilisation of capacity. It identified the production factors and their impact on warping and sizing cycle time in selected value streams and those which share common activities. It also identified the directions for future research when repeating the application of VSM in the continuous improvement cycle. Furthermore, since the industries need to progress towards advanced systems including Industry 4.0 standards, adoption of advanced VSM tool with relevant technology can align their production systems to develop the required capability. This will also bring a sustainable competitive advantage in the system.Social implicationsThe focused sector is stagnant in terms of productivity and innovation. The adoption of the advanced tools can facilitate the implementation of continuous improvement and innovation strategies.Originality/valueThe main focus of this study is to analyse and improve the cycle time in the preparatory stage of the fabric manufacturing process. This has impact on other important and tangible measures including capacity utilisation and work flow and intangible measures including production planning flexibility and process visibility. The improvement impact is across departments.

Lean and industry 4.0 principles toward industry 5.0: a conceptual framework and empirical insights from fashion industry

“…2.3 Lean, I4.0 and I5.0 in fashion industry Several applications of Lean principle in the fashion industry can be found. For instance, some of them refer to the successful implementation of the value stream map to identify inefficiency in garment (Kumar et al, 2020), textile (Hussain and Figueiredo, 2023) and leather shoe (Reda and Dvivedi, 2022) industries. Others focus on the combination of Lean tools with autonomous maintenance to provide continuous improvement in the field, with case studies in textile companies (Kose et al, 2022) or combining them with deep learning to guide companies towards their effective implementation in real context, such as clothing companies (Elboq et al, 2023).…”

Optimization of the Production Process in the Automotive Industry with Value Stream Mapping Methodology

“…Hussain et al study showed that it is very important to identify all value streams and their connections in order to gain useful insight for managers to improve the performance of the entire production process. This allows for a picture of how different types of changes or combinations of changes at multiple points in the process will affect the entire system (Hussain & Figueiredo, 2023). A study by Vamsi et al clearly shows that VSM brings a positive impact on the lead time, process inventory level, line speed, total process time, and reduced manpower.…”

BPMN-VSM-based knowledge-work process analysis and improvement in police services: a case study

“…The approach enables a visual representation of a process, providing a better understanding and documentation of the value chain (Reda and Dvivedi, 2022). In contrast to conventional process mapping techniques, which focus on product flow, VSM also captures the flow of information and materials within the system (Hussain and Figueiredo, 2023). As a result, the technique outlines the relationship between the process and the management controls.…”

“…VSM is argued to be limited to modeling complex processes encompassing crossdisciplinary relationships, interconnected activities and parallel flows with multiple alternative paths and decision points (Soliman et al, 2022;Hussain and Figueiredo, 2023). According to Forno et al (2014), the absence of process stability, measurements of insufficient data in processes, the requirement for economic data, product complexity, and product and process complexity are among the additional challenges with VSM.…”

“…In the literature on lean thinking, authors have discussed various tools and techniques, including value stream mapping (VSM), process flowchart, swimlane diagram and spaghetti diagram, to analyze and improve performance and other measures (Ahmad et al, 2022). In general, VSM is widely accepted in the research community (Hussain and Figueiredo, 2023). VSM assumes a relatively stable and predictable process flow (Ahmad et al, 2022).…”