Lean Manufacturing

Catalog description

Principles and methods of Lean Manufacturing currently used in modern industries. MET 457 Lean Manufacturing (3)This course introduces the students to the methods of Lean Manufacturing used currently in the manufacturing industry. The basic Lean Manufacturing topics covered in the lecture include its history, the commitment required by a company to start and sustain Lean Mfg, team building, and the training required by both management and the employees. To aid in the organization of the many Lean topics lectured on and to give the students a structured guideline for analyzing a process, the method of Value Stream Management is used. This method, when used on either a manufacturing or office environment, maps the manufacturing process and analyzes it for opportunities to reduce waste. Once the process mapping has been accomplished, the more advanced Lean topics are then covered which introduces the student to methods of reducing or eliminating waste in the manufacturing process. These topics include fast setup (SMED), plant floor organization (5S), improving equipment uptime (TPM), improving product quality, error proofing a process (Poka-Yoke), work balancing and cellular layout. Additionally, the most advanced topics of autonomation, just-in-time (JIT), flexible or agile manufacturing, and Kanban are covered. In order for the student to fully comprehend the material presented, the students are placed into teams that are sponsored by local industries to work on a manufacturing process. The students are given the opportunity to explore a manufacturing process and develop ways to eliminate problems, issues, and waster in an actual situation rather than a simulation.