One-Piece Flow Manufacturing
What is manufacturing without motion? Not much, really. In a 24 - 7 world where time is a boundless concept, and the ability to profitably produce is determined by the maximization of capacity, remaining in motion is often the key to success for any manufacturer. To be sure, this concept of motion is not to be confused with the quantitative output of inferior products merely for the sake of meeting output quotas.
To the extent that output is the result of a combination of quantity and quality, this means that capacity is maximized and customer satisfaction maintained. In short, motion is central to manufacturing, and the more continuous it is the better. To this end, the concept of cell-system manufacturing was developed to produce the best quality product in the most efficient possible way.
The idea behind cell-system production is to provide a continuous flow of produced goods through the absence of delays in the process. It is a notion of producing one quality item at a time, and to have those items continuously moving off the production line and in route to the customer—in short, one-piece flow.
Central to the idea of one-piece flow manufacturing is the concept of motion—motion of materials, motion of parts/assemblies, motion of personnel, and the motion of finished goods out of the plant. Cellular environments facilitate one-piece flow production through having everything that is needed for production within easy reach, and ensuring that each assembly step is completed before the part is moved along to the next.
In one-piece flow production tasks are reduced to their simplest components so, if done correctly, errors are reduced and continuous flow of goods enhanced. By raw material, parts, and assemblies being delivered to the cell system, operators have the process components at hand and are able to quickly produce goods within the flow.
Particularly suited for efficient repetitive process production, one-piece flow provides continuous output, improved quality, and enhanced bottom-line profits without the need for enlarging production capacity or staff. As well, one-piece flow production is able to adjust to customer demands and shortened lead times better than large batch production operations.
In contrast to large batch production, where delays are inherent as parts move slowly through the system, one-piece flow works to reduce not only delays but also the negative impacts on the system such as inventory build-ups, damage or obsolescence, and missed on-time deliveries. Once infrastructure is developed to support the continuous maintenance of one-piece flow, cellular production systems provide that continuous flow of activity between shop floor personnel and finished goods. The key difference between large batch and one-piece flow production techniques? Motion.
The continuous motion of production provided by one-piece flow means that there is no wasted time from start to finish. Processes overlap in one-piece flow whereby products are constantly on the move from one part of the cell to another. And, it is here, in the lean elimination of wasted time and effort that companies have their best shot of winning on the 24-7 global manufacturing stage.