Design a One-Piece Flow System in a Casket Manufacturing Company

Abstract

The competition between Casket companies is increasing every day. Many casket companies are importing products from China and Mexico. The customers are greatly influenced by prices. To be competitive, the industry is seeking for tools to be used in order to reduce cost and improve manufacturing capacity without compromising the quality of the products. One methodology used to reduce manufacturing cost and increase process capacity is Lean Manufacturing. This methodology is used to reduce sources of muda or in other words, waste. Muda can be associated to downtime, waiting time, unnecessary movements among others things that do not create value to the customer. This article discusses the improvement of the manufacturing line capacity and layout of a Casket Manufacturing Company. The methodology used for the improvement was Lean Manufacturing using the DMAIC tool as a systematic approach. Key Terms - DMAIC, Lean Manufacturing, Process Capacity, Process Flow.