Continuous Flow Manufacturing

A manufacturing process that aims at optimization of throughput using

minimum inventory. This involves implementing just-in-time techniques while
doing away with the batch and queue costs.

Continuous flow is just that—the flow of value-add never stops. Ideally, a

process would continue to add value without ever stopping during the
production process.

Lean manufacturing strives for continuous flow through the reduction of

waste. Any time a process stops, lead time is lengthened, the customer has to
wait for the product or service, and it is costing more money than if the flow
could be continuous in nature.

Continuous-flow manufacturing, or Repetitive-Flow Manufacturing, is an

approach to discrete manufacturing that contrasts with batch production. It is
associated with a just-in-time and kanban production approach, and calls for
an ongoing examination and improvement efforts which ultimately requires
integration of all elements of the production system. The goal is an optimally
balanced production line with little waste, the lowest possible cost, on-time
and defect-free production.

This strategy is typically applied in discrete manufacturing as an attempt to

handle production volumes comprising discrete units of product in a flow
which is more naturally found in process manufacturing. The basic fact is that
in most cases, discrete units of a solid product cannot be handled in the same
way as continuous quantities of liquid, gas or powder.

Discrete manufacturing is more likely to be performed in batches of product

units that are routed from process to process in the factory. Each process may
add value to the batch during a run-time or work-time. There is usually some
time spent waiting for the process during a queue-time or wait-time. The larger
the batch, the longer each unit has to wait for the rest of the batch to be
completed, before it can go forward to the next process. This queue-time is
waste, Muda (Japanese term), and represents time lost that is not value-added
in the eyes of the customer. This waste is one of the most important elements
targeted for reduction and elimination in lean manufacturing.

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Reducing the batch size in discrete manufacturing is therefore a desirable goal:
it improves the speed of response to the customer, whilst improving the ratio
of value-added to non value-added work. However, it should be balanced
against the finite capacity of resources at the value-adding processes. Capacity
is consumed by changeover whenever a process is required to perform work
on a different part or product model than the preceding one. Time consumed
in changeover is also considered waste, and it reduces the amount of resource
capacity that is available to perform value-adding work. Reducing batch sizes
can also increase handling time, risk and complexity in planning and controlling
production.

The paradigm aim is to achieve single-piece flow where a single discrete unit of
product flows from process to process. In effect, the batch quantity is one. If
there is no change in part or product model, then this objective needs to be
balanced against the additional handling time, and the work-centres that
perform the process will typically have to be arranged in close proximity to one
another in a flow-line. This is often a characteristic of Repetitive-flow
manufacturing and most manual assembly work is performed this way in the
modern factory.

If there is a change in part or product model, then the process engineer should
also consider to balance the changeover time with run-time. If the changeover
time is long, as it might be on a machine, batch size reduction is typically
preceded with setup reduction techniques such as Single-Minute Exchange of
Die.

One methodology for Repetitive-flow manufacturing is Demand Flow

Technology which combines the principles of Repetitive-flow and demand-
driven manufacturing. The production planning and control is linked to a pull
signal that is triggered from a customer order or consumption of finished
goods stock. A pull signal can also link a process to the down-stream, and
synchronize the flow to the demand of the customer.

In next letter we will discuss about Gemba (The Real Place)

Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.

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