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CELLULAR MANUFACTURING
CELLULAR MANUFACTURING
One Piece Flow
One-piece flow is the state that exists when products move
through a manufacturing process one unit at a time, at a rate
determined by the needs of the customer
The opposite of one-piece flow is large-lot production
Goods produced in large lots build delays into the process
No items can move on to the next process until all items in
the lot have been processed
The larger the lot, the longer the items sit and wait
between steps
One-piece flow is an ideal state
In daily operation, it is not always possible or desirable to
process items just one at a time
The important thing is to promote continuous flow of products,
with the least amount of delay and waiting
One-Piece Flow Vs. Large-Lot
Production
What is Cellular Manufacturing ?
A lean manufacturing approach that helps companies build a
variety of products with as little waste as possible
Equipment and workstations arranged in a sequence that
supports smooth material flow through the process, with
minimal transport or delay
Derived from the word Cell
A Manufacturing Cell consists of people and machines or
workstations required for performing the process steps
For example - if a process for a product requires cutting,
followed by drilling and finishing, the cell would include the
equipment for performing those steps, arranged in that order
Helps companies achieve two important goals of lean:
One-piece flow
High-variety production
High-Variety Production
In the early days, a company could produce one type of product
Customers would buy it even if it wasnt exactly what they liked
Today customers expect variety and customization
Specific quantities delivered at a specific time
If your company is not flexible enough to serve their needs
customers will go to your competitor
Cellular manufacturing offers flexibility to give customers the variety
they want
By grouping similar products into families that can be processed on
same equipment in the same sequence
Encourages companies to shorten changeover time between
products
Eliminates a major reason for large-lot production
CMS & Group Technology(GT)
CMS layout are based on recognizing similarities in
products similarities in geometry, size, materials
and processing requirements
This similar products are collected Grouped
instead of being treated as individuals
Leads to product families that visit similar
equipment and populate their cells production
schedule
Simpler setups like in a Job shop can follow and the
workers become multifunctional and responsible for
all aspects of a product and its quality
Cells can be scheduled to produce synchronously
bringing the various sub-assemblies in as needed at
final assembly with greater variety built in
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Traditional Processes Comparison of Process & Cellular

Based on FUNCTIONAL approach Layouts
Job Shop mentality
Pushed in Batches
Very little visibility & linkages

U-Turn Cells Layout

People assigned to multiple types of
equipment. People & materials move from
station to station.

Clustering Techniques: the Clustering Techniques: The

Fundamental Issue in Cell Fundamental Issue in Cell
Development Development
We cluster parts to build part families We cluster Machines to build cells:
Part Families visit cells Cells lead to Flow Mathematics
Cells contain all equipment needed to produce a part
Part Families share set-up ideas and equipment
family
(Family Fixtures)
Cells allow development of Multi-functional workers
Part Families follow the same (or similar) process
Cells hold work teams responsible for production and
routing
quality They Empower the workers
These are the ideas and activities that offer Empowered to set internal schedules
reported benefits Empowered to assign tasks
Empowered to train and rotate jobs

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Objectives of Cell Design Benefits of Cellular Manufacturing

Reduce defects. Promoting one-piece flow through cellular manufacturing
can help make your company more competitive
Increase space Cut costly transport and delay from the manufacturing
utilization process
Shortens the production lead time
Decrease WIP Serves customer needs
Engaging suppliers Gives an earlier return on the investment in the product
within the cell Saves space in the factory
Can be used for other value-adding purposes
Materials at point Promotes continuous improvement
of use By forcing solutions to problems that block low-inventory
production
Reduce Lead Time

Disadvantages of Cellular
Manufacturing
Sometimes cells may not be formed because of
inadequate part families.
Some cells may have a high volume of production and
others very low. This results in poorly balanced cells
When volume of production changes, number of
workers are adjusted and workers are reassigned to
various cells. To cope with this type of reassignments,
workers must be multi-skilled and cross-trained.
Sometimes, machines are duplicated in different cells.
This increases capital investment.