An Improvement of the Assembly Station with PDCA Cycle and Cross-Functional Team
Keywords:
Assembly Station Improvement, Cross Functional Team (CFT), PDCA Cycle, Automated Parts Handling DeviceAbstract
This paper presents the improvement method of operations for the case-studied assembly station to increase the production rate per shift, reduce the risk form working methods, and reduce the part supplying workloads. The improvement process follows the procedure of the PDCA cycle. Employees from relevant departments participated in the study via the use of the Cross-Functional Team (CFT) approach. The existing data indicated that the assembly station was a bottleneck causing the production rate of the assembly line to be less than the target of 1100 units per shift. The CFT and responsibility of the team members were set to improve the situation. The study revealed that operators at the station had to pause their assembly tasks to receive the parts from the material supply department every 24 units of the assembly operations and move them to the pre-setting positions. This resulted in the assembly cycle time of 23.20 seconds per unit and the production rate of 990 units per shift. In addition, these steps were non-regular activities and were performed with body positions that could cause a high risk of muscle aches. The work method was studied, analyzed, and an Automated Parts Handling Device (APHD) was set as a countermeasure. The APHD was designed, built, and utilized to receive and move parts, automatically. Implementation of the APHD has led to the cycle time reduction of the assembly station to 19.63 seconds per unit, and the increment of productivity to 1169 units per shift (or 18.08% increment). The health risk of operators from lifting and handling the parts has been eliminated with 50% reduction of the material supply workloads. From the results of this case study, it can be seen that the implementation of the CFT following the steps of the PDCA approaches contributes to the project success in meeting both the productivity target and requirements of involved parties. Furthermore, knowledge gained from this case study can be used as a guideline for the improvement of similar circumstances.
References
N. Chaisorn, M. Thongjua and B. Lila, “Production Rate Improvement of an Automotive Part Production Line with a Reduction of Waste from Material Handlingt,” The Conference of Industrial Engineering Network, Petchburi, pp. 315-320, 2012.
A. Pinchaimool, N. Sirilak and S. Luachai, “Improvement of Car Production Line using Industrial Engineering Tools,” Journal of Industrial Technology, vol. 14, no. 3, pp. 93–105, 2018.
S. Ponpakdee, “Waste Reduction in Bottled Water Production Process,” Ladkrabang Engineering Journal, vol. 38, no.3, pp. 77–90, 2021.
N. Sriputtha, J. Kositwat and D. Kaewdook, “Reducing waste in Detergent Packaging Process by Using ECRS Technique,” in the 5th Rajamangala Manufacturing & Management Technology conference, Chanthaburi, Thailand, May 28–29, 2020, pp 190–196.
K. Wajanawichakon, “Waste Reduction for Efficiency Improvement in Broom Production Processes: A Case Study of Community Enterprise BungWai, Ubon Ratchathani,” UBU Engineering Journal, vol. 13, no. 1, pp. 141–152, 2019.
W. Sornsuphap, “A Design of Automated Material Handling Equipment for PCB Jigs,” B.E. project, Dept. Industrial Engineering, Burapha Univ., Chonburi, Thailand, 2017.
D. M. Stipp, M. L. Pimemta and D. Jugend, “Innovation and Cross-functional Team Analysis of Innovative Initiatives in a Brazilian Public Organization,” Team Performance Management, vol. 24, no. 1/2, pp. 84–105, 2018, doi: 10.1108/TPM-12-2016-0056 .
E. Kyle, S. M. Janice, J. F. Sarah and W. H. Peter, “Examining Project Commitment in Cross-Functional Teams: Antecedents and Relationship with Team Performance,” Journal of Business and Psychology, vol. 29, pp. 443–461, 2014, 0.1007/s10869-013-9325-6.
J. Daspit, C. J. Tillman, N. G. Boyd and V. Mckee, “Cross-Functional Team Effectiveness, An Examination of Internal Team Environment, Shared Leadership, and Cohesion Influences,” Team Performance Management, vol. 19, no. 1/2, pp. 34–56, 2013, doi: 10.1108/13527591311312088.
T. Phannikul, D. Sangkamanee and P. Ngamsanga, “Efficiency Improvement in Manufacturing Process by Industrial Engineering Tools Case Study: Bicycle Assembly Factory,” in The 32th Conference of Industrial Engineering Network, Samut Prakan, Thailand, Oct. 30–31, 2014.
M. Kittiyankajon, N. Phothising and T. Padpeng, “Application of Industrial Engineering Techniques to Improve Production Efficiency: a Case Study of Mushroom Grain Spawn Process,” Kasem Bundit Engineering Journal, vol. 9, no. 2, pp. 71–89, 2019.
N. Sangrudee and J. Rukijkanpanich, “Process Improvement of Fuel Pump Production in Automobile Component Manufacturer,” The Journal of KMUTNB, vol. 21, no. 3, pp. 584–594, 2011.
B. Nilpan, “Case Study for Company AAA ltd: Arranging Equipment to Minimize Machinery Transportation Time,” SAU Journal of Science & Technology, vol. 7, no. 2, pp. 56–68, 2021.
O. Yomkerd, P. Trevittaya and N. Charoenchai, “The Improvement of Worker’s Sitting Postures in Knife Forging Industry by Ergonomics Principles,” Engineering Journal Chiang Mai University, vol. 22, no. 3, pp. 10–20, 2015.
P. Kamnuengthamkulcha and R. Chantarasa, “ Design and Improvement of Work, Work Stations and Environment in the Processes of ARC Stack Medium using Ergonomic Principles,” in The 29th Conference of Industrial Engineering Network, Ubon Ratchathani, Thailand, Oct 20–21, 2011, pp. 283–290.
M. Yusuf, N. Adiputra, I. D. Putu Sutjana and K. Tirtayasa, “The Improvement of Work Posture Using RULA Analysis to Decrease Subjective Disorders of Strawberry Farmers in Bali,” International Research Journal of Engineering, IT & Scientific Research, vol. 2, no. 9, pp. 1–6, 2016.
N. Muangsuwan and N. Charoenchai, “The Development of an Information System for Assessing Risk Regarding to Safety and Occupational Health,” presented at the 1st Conference of Industrial Engineering and Management, Chiang Mai Thailand, Oct 31–31, 2017, pp. 1–4.
C. Na Takuathung and P. Diloksumpan, “Ergonomic Risk Assessments of Timber Harvesting Workers in Teak Plantations, Phrae Province,” Thai Journal of Science and Technology, vol. 10, no. 2, pp. 223–233, 2021, doi: 10.14456/tjst.2021.18.
K. N. Poh, G. G .G. Gerald and C. E. Uchena, “Concurrent Engineering Team: The Role of Cross-Functional Teamwork in Engineering Project Performance,” in International Conference in Design and Concurrent Engineering, Melaka, Malaysia, Sep. 20–21, 2010, pp. 60–65.
B. G. Dale, T. van der Wiele and J. van Iwaarden, “Policy Deployment,” in Managing Quality, 5th ed., Singapore: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing, 2007, ch. 8, sec. 4 pp 164–165.
Ergonomics Assessment, Thai Ergonomics Assessment, Jul 15, 2014. [Online]. Available: http:// http://thai-ergonomic-assessment.blogspot.com/.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2022 Faculty of Engineering, King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
The published articles are copyrighted by the School of Engineering, King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang.
The statements contained in each article in this academic journal are the personal opinions of each author and are not related to King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang and other faculty members in the institute.
Responsibility for all elements of each article belongs to each author; If there are any mistakes, each author is solely responsible for his own articles.
