Reduction in Production Lead Time of L&T Construction’s EHV TLT Works Facility at Puducherry

Abstract

A lot of manufacturers face the challenges of cost-cutting and efficiency in their operations. In order to thrive, companies need to reduce the production lead time, cost and improve service to customer. As a result, businesses are making considerable efforts to increase their performance. For nearly all sectors, handling of material occupies major portion of the time for manufacturing and in assembly. In order to maximize efficiency, it should be reduced, and in order to do so it is necessary to recognize elements in the system that add value and add non-value. Value Stream Mapping is an industrial engineering technique used everywhere to represent production system and all other processes that are important to it. This technique is very effective in providing the visual modelling of the processes in system with a lot of details, and helps in to understand to system more effectively. To start with Value Stream Mapping, we first prepared spaghetti diagrams, which is a very powerful tool to identify the excess movement of products in an assembly line. In this project work, after preparing spaghetti diagram, we conducted the VSM of existing assembly line and it helped us understand the material flow process and also helped us identify the Muda (wastes) through clear mapping of the existing current model. After this is done, the VA and the NVA elements in this current system are traced easily and by eliminating or by reduction in the same, the performance of system is improved and hence productivity is increased too. We also used the concept of Theory of Constraints to make our system more efficient. The selected factory manufactures Extra High Voltage Transmission Line Tower Parts for L&T Construction’s PT&D IC’s Transmission Line Business Unit with clients from both domestic and international market. This research has suggested analysis of a current state model analysis to find information and analyze the value adding and non-value adding objects in it. It suggests possible solutions to delete and/or minimize the NVA elements to increase process productivity & efficiency. The existing and the future mapping should provide specifics of the system change and the VA & NVA objects. It may be a prototype for similar manufacturing models of further type.

Keywords: Lead Time, Spaghetti Diagram, Value Stream Mapping