RE-LAYOUT MOULDING PRODUCTION LINE USING GEMBA KAIZEN METHOD AND LINE BALANCING METHOD

Abstract

This research will focus on the moulding department of Company J's production line A, Workstation A08. Workstation A08 produces bushings for use many in the automotive industry. Bush parts are parts used to absorb the vehicle's shocks and vibrations. Based on continuous observations at workstation A08, the problem was identified when it became clear that the operator at workstation A08 was not performing any tasks but waiting for the machine to finish its operations. Waiting and idle time at this workstation indicates low work efficiency at this workstation. To improve work efficiency at the workstation A08, the Gemba Kaizen method is used to find the best solution for problems that occur in production line A. The main procedure for making improvements is to find out the main problems occur at workstation A08. The 5 Whys method, also known as the Root Cause Analysis (RCA) technique, is used to pinpoint the root causes of the problems at workstation A08. Based on the main problems stated in the 5 Whys method, workstation A08 experienced a high cycle time difference between Total Cycle Time and Total Man Time. The difference between these two cycle times causes a waiting and idle time to the operator. Application of the Line Balancing Method is used to solve the problem. Line balancing is an effective tool to improve the throughput of an assembly line while reducing bottlenecks and cycle time. By using a combination of these two methods, Gemba Kaizen and the Line Balancing method, work efficiency at combinations workstation improved 45%.