 The
use of work teams is the most powerful organization concept
since the Roman Legions. Teamwork provides
superior motivation, improved problem solving, and better
decision-making. Team building is not an easy task. Teams
require training, compatible workflow, compatible
organizations structures, understanding management, and
patience.Work teams
are an important component of Lean Manufacturing. They
enhance the performance of workcells and improve quality
efforts.
"Life In A Workcell"
The Human
Side of Lean Manufacturing
Cellular Manufacturing (CM)
Cellular Manufacturing (CM)
refers to a manufacturing system wherein the equipment and
workstations are arranged in an efficient sequence that
allows a continuous and smooth movement of inventories and
materials to produce products from start to finish in a
single process flow, while incurring minimal transport or
waiting time, or any delay for that matter. CM is an
important ingredient of
lean manufacturing.
In order to set up a
single process flow
(or single product flow) line, it is necessary to locate all
the different equipment needed to manufacture the product
together in the same production area. This is in contrast
with the
traditional
'batch and queue'
set-up wherein only similar equipment are put in the same
area. Under a 'batch and queue' set-up, products that need
to undergo processing under a certain equipment need to be
transported to the area where the equipment are located.
There they are queued for processing in batches. Such a
system sometimes results in transport and batching delays.
In a single process flow set-up, the products simply
transfer from one equipment to the next along the same
production line in a free-flowing manner, avoiding transport
and batching delays.
The single process flow set-up described above is an example
of a 'work cell'. A
work cell
is defined as a collection of equipment and workstations
arranged in a single area that allows a product or group of
similar products to be processed completely from start to
finish. It is, in essence, a self-contained mini-production
line that caters to a group of products that undergo the
same production process.
Cellular manufacturing involves the use of work 'cells',
which is how it got its name.
http://www.siliconfareast.com/cellular-manufacturing.htm
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