Lean Manufacturing – Phononic

Results Case Studies

Case Study Snapshot

Results At A Glance

Throughput

+20%

5S Program

6-Month Implementation

Flow Efficiency

Improved in Constrained Space

Key Takeaways

  • 5S implementation (2 areas/month for 6 months) built foundational workplace discipline.
  • Spaghetti diagram analysis exposed wasted movement in the constrained facility.
  • VSM of the production process identified flow bottlenecks and quality yield issues.
  • Dashboards for throughput and quality trends enabled data-driven production management.

Where This Approach Fits

Best for early-stage manufacturers transitioning from R&D to production scale in constrained facilities.

Lean Process Improvement 5S

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Problem / Challenge:

Electromechanical solid-state manufacturing company with disruptive technology transitioning from early-stage product development to full production, was squeezed into a small facility footprint, struggling with quality yield and throughput as demand ramped up.

Lean Assessment

A Lean Assessment was conducted and the resulting recommendations were to apply 5S throughout the facility, Value Stream Map (VSM) the production flow and revise the facility layout to promote more streamlined operational flow.

Implementation Details: 5S

  • Formed 5S Implementation Team to design and lead the 5S implementation
    • Divided facility into manageable areas to implement 5S over a 6-month period
    • Developed 5S audit template to measure performance and sustainment
  • Provided 5S training to Team, facility management and area personnel prior to each area launch
  • Facilitated 2 area launches per month
    • Initial 1S, 2S, 3S per area
  • Worked with management to implement 4S and 5S best practices in parallel
    • Ongoing 5S meetings, audits and monitoring

What is 5S

Typical 5S Initial Implementation Session

VSM With Most Constrained Process Steps Shown in Red

Implementation Details: VSM & Streamlined Flow

  • Created Value Stream Map (VSM) of the production process
  • Analyzed and identified production constraints
    • Observed operations and spaghetti diagrammed production flow around the constraints
    • Brainstormed improvement ideas and implemented best recommendations
  • Repeated the process for the next several constraints
  • Created dashboards to monitor throughput and quality, and compared trend results with baseline VSM data

Difficulties Encountered

  • Multiple small retail spaces joined together made a difficult footprint for facility flow improvements
  • Some areas required strict clean room conditions
  • 24/7 operations with 4 shifts and high demand made it unfeasible to bring all shifts together for 5S, thus it placed a greater burden on intra-shift communications and coordination
  • Ongoing capital equipment upgrades/changes were happening in parallel resulted in frequent operational changes

Results

  • Improved flow within previously constrained areas
  • Initial throughput increased 20%+

Learn more about Lean Manufacturing

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