Manufacturing system improvement through measurement and redesign: A case study

Systematic improvement is a buzz word in the manufacturing world. Companies want to hear or know about how they can do one or all of the following three things: a) Produce more by keeping input at the same level, b) produce at the same level with a reduced input, or c) do both; that is, produce more with less input. The question often faced is whether this is possible. The answer to this question depends on the extent to which the company is willing to go to achieve its goal. In any of (a) through (c), many alternatives can be explored. These include productivity improvement through time study, ergonomics, and investment in new technology, worker's motivation, and attitude of the management towards productivity. All of these alternatives are not the same but they can be implemented individually or collectively. This paper discusses how a student used the combination of time study and redesign to help a mid-size company improve its manufacturing processes. This effort ultimately resulted in improved quality and increased productivity of workers in a section of the company. It also reduced the amount of personal, delay and fatigue allowances of the workers.