Lean Manufacturing for Cycle Time Reduction in an Assembly Shop

In order to sustain in present competitive market, on-time delivery, excellent quality and aesthetic are very much essential. The objective of this paper is reducing the cycle time of assembly of automobile door trim panels by implementing various modernized techniques using lean manufacturing concepts. It is evident from the past reports that in the existing system the cycle time is more and it has poor aesthetic. Here a leading automobile company's front door panel assembly is considered and the assembly line is modernized and automated to reduce the cycle time and to improve the aesthetic. The outcome of this paper leads to substantial reduction in cycle time, reduced cost of maintenance, reduced defects, better utilization of machines and man power. Statistical quality control is carried out on the new method of welding joints. The result shows that the process is under control. Also, the proposed system is validated for its increased productivity and for return on investment (ROI). It has been proved and validated by an empirical relation. The improved return on investment (ROI) and productivity shows the method of performing welding is feasible.