The efficient design of production processes is a decisive factor in a company’s success. Lean management, especially in the layout planning of production, plays a central role in this. The integration of modern technologies and principles enables companies to increase their productivity, improve working conditions, and minimize their environmental impact.
Experience at Vitrashop 🛠️
My time at Vitrashop, a company known for its innovative approach to design and manufacturing, has highlighted the importance of lean management and thoughtful factory layout in both production and offices.
At Vitrashop, great emphasis has been placed on applying the principles of lean management and thoughtful design not only in manufacturing, but also in the office work environments. This philosophy is also expressed in the design of the Vitra Design Museum and the Vitra Campus, both of which are regarded as prime examples of aesthetic and functional design.
Application examples and principles 📈
- SEW-Eurodrive has achieved significant improvements by applying lean management techniques such as Heijunka, Pull Principle, Andon and Gemba. The company was able to reduce production space by 35%, inventory by 50% and waste by 80%. In addition, delivery times were reduced by 50% and the complaint rate by 60%.by introducing lean management at its technology factory in Scharnhausen.
- Fischer has reduced energy efficiency by 30%, material consumption by 20% and increased productivity by 15%.
- BSH Hausgeräte reduced throughput times by 40%, reduced inventories by 25% and improved quality by 10% at its Traunreut plant through lean management.
- Wilo used lean management at its Dortmund plant to increase productivity per unit area by 40%, optimize material flow by 30% and increase delivery capability to over 90% by introducing lean management at its Vöhringen plant.
- Wieland has reduced set-up times by 60%, waste by 50% and increased flexibility by 30%.
Further principles of layout planning 📐
🔄 Optimization of the material flow: A well-thought-out layout reduces transport routes and minimizes the time required for material transport.
🌐 Use of real-time data: RTLS systems allow production processes to be continuously monitored and optimized.
📊 Lean production and digitalization: Modern tools such as MES and ERP help to plan and use resources efficiently.
🔍 Holistic approach to layout planning: A synergetic planning approach leads to optimal layout planning and high productivity.
🔗 Lean manufacturing and connected worker platforms: These platforms make it possible to collect and analyze data in real-time.
🧑🔧 Ergonomic design and flexibility: A flexible layout also takes ergonomic aspects into account and improves working conditions for employees.
Conclusion 📝
Modern layout planning and the application of lean principles offer industrial companies enormous potential to increase their productivity, reduce costs and at the same time produce more sustainably. The integration of advanced technologies and a holistic planning approach enable companies to increase their efficiency, flexibility and future-proofing.
Discussion question: What challenges do you see in the implementation of lean management principles in the manufacturing industry?
Disclaimer: The research was carried out with PerplexityPro & visconsultGPT, the summarization, and simplification was done with GPT-4 Turbo and the improvement was with DeepL Write. The translation into English was done with DeepL and improved with Grammarly. The image was created using Leonardo.
