2013

Ahmad Syihan Ismail Ahmad Syihan Ismail Ahmad Syihan Ismail Ahmad Syihan Ismail

IE 5617-Lean Concept and Applications
Industrial Engineering
Northeastern University

RECONFIGURABLE




Ahmad Syihan Ismail Ahmad Syihan Ismail Ahmad Syihan Ismail Ahmad Syihan Ismail
Lean Concept and Applications
Industrial Engineering
Northeastern University
LEAN PRINCIPLE ON
RECONFIGURABLE MANUFACTURING SYSTEM


LEAN PRINCIPLE ON
MANUFACTURING SYSTEMS (RMS)

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TABLE OF CONTENT


TABLE OF CONTENT .................................................................................................................. 1
I. BASIC LEAN PRINCIPLE .................................................................................................... 2
II. MANUFACTURING SYSTEMS ........................................................................................... 3
III. CONCEPT OF RECONFIGURABLE MANUFACTURING SYSTEMS (RMS) ................ 5
IV. LEAN TOOLS IN RMS .......................................................................................................... 6
V. CONCLUSION ....................................................................................................................... 9
REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................. 10



















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I. BASIC LEAN PRINCIPLE
Lean principle recently becomes prominent tools since the competition being tighter in
global market. The basic idea was developed by Toyota with Toyota Production System
(TPS) in late 1980s which focuses on eliminating waste, reducing inventory, improving
throughput, and encouraging employees to bring attention to problems and suggest
improvements to fix them [1]. Figure 1 show how the TPS works in Toyota which has been
successfully used and provide continuous growth in term of net profit, sales performance,
and process effectiveness.

Figure 1 Toyota Production System

Just In Time (JIT) is one of famous tools that control the inventory order as much as they
need at a moment. The other tool is Kanban or CONWIP (Control Work In Progress) that
manage the flow of material in manufacturing step. Andon cord also a good tool that able to
prevent the flow of defect on product and fixed immediately.
Womack redefined TPS or The Toyota Ways as another term that was introduced by
Jeffrey Liker in his book, into lean principle which is aiming to deliver value in product that
meets the customer needs. The main focus is how to discover the waste in entire process and
eliminate it. To do that, he introduced five lean thinking to accomplish lean target which are
Value, Value Stream, Flow, Pull, and Perfection [2].
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By exploring what customer need on the product, each company able to define what kind
of value that would be delivered to the customer and precisely estimate demand. Next step,
stream of value should be able to found in the manufacturing or process from upstream to
downstream. By looking at the current state of value stream though Value Stream Map
(VSM), some waste or bad process have to be noticed and easily introduce a refinement
process which provide shorter cycle time, higher productivity, and possibly lower production
cost. The improvement process doesnt work unless Pull System implemented which is based
on the demand. To preserve the improved system, pursuing perfection is obligation to
guaranty the system work continuously and long lasting.

II. MANUFACTURING SYSTEMS
As the global competition being tighter, global market provides serious effect to the
demand that easy to change. By the variety of customer need, every company should be able
to provide the variety of product with different requirements, specifications, and abilities. In
the other hand, some companies struggle with resources issue which has huge manufacturing
facility and has higher operational cost but run in low utilization.
The fluctuation of demand gives significant impact to manufacturing processes and
strategies. Most manufacturing companies use two previous prominent systems which called
Dedicated Manufacturing System (DML) and Flexible Manufacturing System (FMS). DML
is the simple system that can be adjusted the productivity level but not designed to handle
multiple products in a short time. In the other hand, even those are not part family, FMS has
ability to run production process of multiple products that consist of general-purpose
Computer Numerically Controlled (CNC) machines and other programmable form. However,
its productivity could not be scaled up at the moment.
To overcome it, new manufacturing system should be considered which called
Reconfigurable Manufacturing Systems (RMS). This system recently developed and invented
by several experts in Industrial field. Here is the graph that shows how the RMS works in
capacity, cost, and functionality parameter and able to respond the market change, compared
to DML and FMS. This performance truly matched with the lean principle that able to catch
the different customer need but able to keep high production rate.
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Figure 2 The comparison of three systems, RMS, DML, and FML
in term of capacity, functionality, and system cost

The detail comparison was shown in table below with some additional parameters such as
system structure, system focus, machine structure, and production cost of each part.

Table 1 Comparison of Manufacturing Systems
Parameter DML FMS RMS
System Structure Fixed Adjustable Adjustable
System Focus Part Machine Part Family
Machine Structure Fixed Fixed Adjustable
Scalability No Yes Yes
Flexibility No General Customized
Productivity Very High Low High
Machine Tools DMT CNC RMT
Cost per part Low (single
part, fully
utilized)
Medium (Several
parts )
Medium (Parts at
variable demand)

By several advantages of RMS that easily found from the table above such as
changeability of the system structure and machine structure, easiness on scalability, and
possibility on simultaneously operating tools, definitely RMS is a solution of future
manufacturing system to catch global competition that require responsiveness of
manufacturing strategies. The only disadvantages that probably happen are the productivity
that not as high as DML system and cost part that relatively high. In addition, because of the
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volatility market which provide difficulties on predict future demand, it is hard to define a
suitable time to apply this system.

III. CONCEPT OF RECONFIGURABLE MANUFACTURING SYSTEMS (RMS)
The summary of core characteristics of RMS as a global view of integrated system is
explained below [3]:
1. Customization, the flexibility to produce several part in specific range (family part),
2. Convertibility, the ability to transform the function of system and machine,
3. Scalability, the ability to adjust the productivity and able use crossover configuration,
4. Modularity, the ability to change the control and module to different requirement or
specification,
5. Integrability, the ability to flow the product, information, and control interface,
6. Diagnosability, the ability to inspect the quality of product.
To fill the gap of customization, RMS require another unique tools which called
Reconfigurable Machine Tool (RMT) that hardly to found neither in Dedicated Machine
Tools (DMT) or Computer Numerically Controlled (CNC). Another tool that covers
diagnosability and quickly responds the defect in the product is RIM (Reconfigurable
Inspection Machine). The complete system will be shown by the picture below.


Figure 3 a whole system RMS featured by RMT and RIM
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Some practical mathematical methods and common equations are used to find the best
configuration. Here is the equation that used to calculate minimum number of machine (N)
that needs daily demand (Q), total machining time for the part (t), and machining reliability
(R).

N =
x t
tmc uuIubIc x R
(1)

The basic equation for calculating the number of possible RMS (K) also provided below,
by consider possibility of the number of stages (m) that can be selected. Noted that Eq. (2)
applied to calculate N machine which arranged in m stages (up to m=N) and Eq. (3) applied
to calculate the number of RMS configuration which m equal to N. By both Eq. (2) and (3),
we can defined the number of symmetric configuration and eliminate asymmetric
configuration as well.

K = [
N 1
m 1

N
m=1
= 2
N-1
(2)

K = [
(N-1)!
(N-m)!(m-1)!
(3)

Next, we should limited the number based on the ability to meet the cycle time that based
on the customer demand and total production time, or in lean terminology is known as Takt
Time by the equation below.
Iokt timc =
tmc uuIubIc
dcmund
(4)

IV.LEAN TOOLS IN RMS
The detail of lean concept that implemented in RMS will be shown in small part of
system which called Cell. It much easier to identify tools that used in the system and basic
value of lean that each tools support. Pull system play a big role in the system that shows
how the lean principle works. It would give several inputs such as demand, product
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specifications, and production timing and endorse the system to responds the changes as
quick as possible. The detail of tools will be described below.
U-Shaped Cell is a preferred shape of cell design that eliminates one of 8 types of waste
in lean thinking, unnecessary movement. When one step is done, the workers just simply turn
around to another step at the place [4]. Thus, the added value process moves around without
any additional movement of worker at that cell.

Figure 4 a single cell machine with U-Shaped arrangement

Another feature is Information Board that provides the detail information of work
process, standard work at specific cell, and repair procedures. In addition, it should be easy to
read by worker and attached neatly in cell. Indeed, all procedure that mention earlier should
support the 5S or mostly people know as Japanese Kitting Tools.
RMT (Reconfigurable Machine Tool) is one of important tools that bring the character of
RMS, customization. The context of customization is this machine able to do several
machining jobs, but in specific range of dimension. For example, one machine with three-
axis able to finish the milling process on two type of cylinder engine head with different
angle with respect to horizontal: 30
0
and 45
0
. In case, using six-axis machine (CNC), surely
those axis are barely used yet when produce the engine which mostly waste the axis of
motion and has lower utilization of all axis. RMTs surely help enterprise to reduce waste of
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functionality and resources [5]. It also enforces the engineer to a design a common part that
used into diverse product. The picture below shows the prototype of RMT that utilized by
three-axis motion.
(a) (b)

Figure 5 (a) Two types of engines, and (b) Prototype of three-axis RMT

In term of scalability performance, each machine has to be attached by four-small wheels
in every edge. This feature will help worker to adjust the position of machine from the
current to different configuration. Sometime machine should be added to reduce cycle time
when the demand is high. In another occasion, a configuration required small number
specific RMT to reduce space floor. Perhaps, in same facility another manufacturing
configuration would be placed in different space floor.
To improve the quality of product, every cell should be featured RIM (Reconfigurable
Inspection Machine) that able to diagnose any defect that appears immediately during the
normal production and easy move to different position. This feature meets the improvement
concept that endeavor the quality of every product. Similar to Andon Cord, this machine will
detect the defect and deliver the signal to worker give a treatment on it.
Beside several tools that have been mentions above as a basic tool which characterize the
system, the other additional tools such as Kanban and single-piece-flow also able to adapt
into system. Kanban tools are seeking the inventory level in each cell managed the number of
material that allowed to go to next cell. One-piece-flow also helps the worker to control and
monitor the material flow in specific amount and tackle the overproduction issue.
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V. CONCLUSION
Reconfigurable Manufacturing System (RMS) has not applied widely in modern
manufacturing. Moreover, it need time to prove that the system is able to tackle global
change and find the mature design so the cost of production would be reduce significantly.
However, by bringing up the Kaizen (continuous improvement) into development process, it
would be the answer of several obstacles that faced by most manufacturing enterprises
nowadays.
In term of lean practice, RMS plays huge role as a lean agent in manufacturing system
which keeps pursuing the perfection. Each component of RMS has unique characteristic and
represented the soul of lean principle. In addition, the other lean tools also easy to be adopted
to RMS which should consider the need and the significant improvement that company earn.




















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REFERENCES
1. Stump, Brandon, Fazleena Badurdeen. Integrated Lean and Other Strategies for Mass
Customization Manufacturing: A Case Study. Journal of Intelligent Manufacturing
(2012) 23: 109-124.
2. James P. Womack and Daniel T. Jones, (2003). Lean Thinking: Banish Waste and
Create Wealth in Your Corporation, New York: Free Press.
3. Koren, Yorah and Moshe Shpitalni. Design of Reconfigurable Manufacturing Systems.
Journal of Manufacturing Systems. Volume 29, Issue 4, 2013: 130-141.
4. Lean Manufacturing: Principles, Tools, and Methods. 2009. Version 2.5. Bosch Rexroth
Group.
5. Landers, R. G., B. K. Min, Y. Koren. Reconfigurable Machine Tools. CIRP Annals
Manufacturing Technology. Volume 50, Issue 1, 2001, Pages 269-274
6. Chahal, Virender. An Advance Lean Production System in Industry to Improve
Flexibility and Quality in Manufacturing by Implementation of FMS and Green
Manufacturing. IJETAE. Volume 2, Issue 12, December 2012
7. Wang, Wencai, Yorah Koren. Scalability Planning for Reconfigurable Manufacturing
Systems. Journal of Manufacturing Systems 31 (2012): 83-91