Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2014) 71:307323

DOI 10.1007/s00170-013-5407-x

ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Applying lean manufacturing system to improving

productivity of airconditioning coil manufacturing
Biman Das & Uday Venkatadri & Pankajkumar Pandey

Received: 18 March 2013 / Accepted: 4 October 2013 / Published online: 24 November 2013
# Springer-Verlag London 2013

Abstract The main objective of this investigation was to

implement lean manufacturing system (LMS) to improve
productivity of airconditioning coil manufacturing at Blue
Star Limited. LMS was successfully employed to improve
coil manufacturing productivity or output by 77 % or from
121 coils to 214 coils per shift. The LMS tools; such as value
stream mapping, single minute exchange of die, and Kaizen
were employed to reduce the setup time of coil expander
machine from 60 to 20 min, an improvement of 67 %. The
increase in percentage value addition (%VA) of the coil shop
was from 5 to 12 %, an improvement of 140 %. The
improvement, especially in coil expander machine was
achieved through Kaizen (continuous improvement) targeting
design and work method changes. The specific innovative
design changes or improvements made in the expander
machine to reduce the setup time included the application of:
(1) gear rack and gear pinion mechanism, (2) spring and cam
and lever mechanism, and (3) one touch mechanism in the
various components of the machine. Many method Kaizens
were also proposed to simplify the setup procedure by
eliminating waste (muda) from the setup of expander. Other
benefits were obtained through reduction of work-in-process
inventory, which in turn reduced the shop floor congestion
and coil damage due to extra coil handling and improved
workplace safety.
Keywords Leanmanufacturing system(LMS) . Single minute
exchange of dies (SMED) . Value addition percentage (%VA) .
Work-in-process (WIP) inventory . Kaizen design and work
method changes
B. Das (*) : U. Venkatadri : P. Pandey
Department of Industrial Engineering, Dalhousie University, Halifax,
NS, Canada
e-mail: biman.das@dal.ca

1 Introduction
Lean manufacturing system (LMS) is a philosophy or concept
that aims to improve productivity and reduce waste. Lean
manufacturing endeavors to use less of everything: less
investment in equipment and tools, less manufacturing space,
less workers, and less engineering time in product and process
design [13]. The reduction of waste can be in inventory or
resources such as manpower, equipment, or floor space.
Examples of waste reduction include the reduction of process
defects, less scrap, and low inventory [10]. Vinodh et al. [20]
maintain that sustainable benefits can be obtained from
reduction of work-in-process, elimination of potential waste
from damaged products and lesser floor space utilization. The
objective of lean manufacturing is to reduce waste in terms of
waiting time, setup time and work-in-process (WIP) inventory
[9]. Waste specially in the context of the manufacturing
environment or company means redundant application of
resources that does not contribute value to the product, for
which the customer is unwilling to pay. Some of the
manufacturing wastes are overproduction, WIP inventory,
finished parts inventory, inappropriate processing,
transportation, defects, and scrap [11].
The implementation of lean manufacturing philosophy or
concept in the various manufacturing sectors has been
documented in the literature in recent years. The analysis of
case studies dealing with the application of lean manufacturing
can be found in steel production [1], aerospace manufacturing
[2], electronic manufacturing [3], automotive production
[7, 19], and aircraft manufacturing [21]. Patnayak et al. [16]
combined lean manufacturing with cellular layout to improve
the efficiency of ammunition components manufacturing. The
present investigation was conducted at Blue Star Limited,
Dadra Plant, India, engaged in manufacturing airconditioning
coils and in particular condenser and evaporator coils for

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airconditioning systems. The main objectives of this

investigation were to (1) present an overview of LMS; (2)
state the relevant information about the manufacturing plant,
product, and processes; and (3) implement a lean
manufacturing system to improve productivity of
airconditioning coil manufacturing at Blue Star Limited.

2 Lean manufacturing system: an overview

The Toyota production system (TPS) [15] was introduced to
the west as lean manufacturing by Womack and Jones [23].
Lean thinking is a management philosophy that focuses on
reduction of what is seen as waste in an organization. A LMS
helps to reduce waste in the manufacturing process and permits
the company to focus on customer value [22]. Dombrowaski
et al. [6] maintain that LMS provides a holistic strategy to
eliminate waste in processes, achieve high product and process
quality, and reduce lead time. They also emphasize that LMS is
a company-specific compilation of rules, standards, methods,
and tools, and provides an appropriate underlying philosophy
and culture for the comprehensive and sustainable design for
manufacturing products.
TPS is often described by mean of a house (Fig. 1) [8]. One
pillar of the house represents just in time (JIT). JIT as one of
the key principles of lean manufacturing suggest that, instead
of conventional approach of pushing value forward, customer
should be allowed to pull the value as and when needed.
This approach helps in avoiding waste of over production.
The other pillar, Jidoka, is about ensuring that quality product
is made and any opportunity to produce defects is eliminated.
Poka yoke or fool proofing is one of the most popular term
used in lean manufacturing, which means to design a system
which has a capability of preventing a defect and if a defect
occurs, detecting the defect itself. Six-sigma has also gained
ground as an approach to optimize process performance. At

Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2014) 71:307323

the base of the TPS house is Heijunka, or leveling, which

means to carry out production in such a way that allows better
utilization of resources. The stable and standard work is
absolutely essential for any organization wanting to practice
lean manufacturing. Unless the work practice is standardized,
it is not possible to improve the process continuously and
sustain improvement. Another part of a TPS house foundation
is Kaizen, which means continuous improvement. Kaizen as a
structured part of an organization provides a frame work for
people to get involved in the endeavor of continuous
improvement. The involvement of people is achieved by
motivating them to propose ideas for improvement, and
systematically implementing and sustaining those ideas.
Under such a system, everybody can suggest an idea for
improvement and all the good ideas are rewarded by
recognizing their involvement in an appropriate form. Lean
manufacturing as a philosophy has focused on five basic
principles as follows:
1. Understanding customer value: Customer is at the center
stage of any exercise done in the organization. The
customer is willing to pay only for the value of the product
and the one that helps in making the necessary change in
the form of product which is considered as value-added
(VA) activity.
2. Value stream analysis: Having understood the value for
the customers, the next step is to analyze the business
processes to determine which ones actually add value.
3. Flow: The focus should be on continuous flow of the
material in small quantity rather than moving material in
large batches. This approach helps in reducing work-inprocess inventory.
4. Pull: The production on any process should be triggered by
demand of the process that follows it. No material should
be processed unless it is needed by a downstream process.
5. Perfection: The elimination of nonvalue added (NVA)
activity is a process of continuous improvement and
requires structured framework like Kaizen to be practiced
without end.
2.1 Lean manufacturing tools
Lean manufacturing offers many tools, which can help in
producing the value to a customer in a leaner way. Some of
the most widely used tools are value stream mapping (VSM),
5 S, total productive maintenance (TPM), single minute
exchange of dies (SMED), JIT, and Kaizen.
2.1.1 Value stream mapping

Fig. 1 Toyota production system (TPS)

Value stream mapping widely known as VSM is one of the

most powerful tools of lean manufacturing. VSM mainly

Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2014) 71:307323

targets the stream of the value and, in the process, seeks to

identify the areas of improvement. VSM focuses on value in
the context of what the customer is willing to pay or what
makes the product gain customer satisfaction [17]. The
primary goal of VSM is to estimate the lead-time associated
with a certain product flow throughout a system [18]. The
whole exercise of VSM can be divided into four key steps: (1)
identify the product family, (2) create a current state value
stream map, (3) create a future state value stream map, and (4)
create an action plan.
VSM is always regarded as the starting point of system
improvement practices, as it helps in identifying the areas
where the improvement efforts should be concentrated. The
main advantage of VSM is that it gives an opportunity to
examine the chain of process and focus only on the value
added activity. The main index of VSM is percentage value
addition (%VA) of the system.
2.1.2 5 S
5 S is one of the most useful tools of lean manufacturing,
widely used to keep the working area neat, clean, and safe.
The name 5 S derives from the first letter in the five Japanese
words: Seiri, Seiton, Seison, Seiketsu, and Shitsuke. The
Japanese words meanings in English are sort, straighten,
shine, standardize, and sustain. Normally, 5 S is implemented
in step-by-step manner. In the sort phase, all the items lying at
the work center are segregated as necessary and unnecessary
items. Thus, all this unnecessary items are removed in a
sorting phase. Then, in straighten phase, all the necessary
items are arranged, and their location is defined. In a shine
phase, the every corner of the workplace is neatly cleaned, and
the sources of contamination like dust, oil are identified. At
the end of the shine phase, the house keeping part of 5 S is
considered to be complete. In the standardize phase, the
procedure is defined to sustain the improvement. In the sustain
phase, the comprehensive program is developed to train
people for good work practice and motivate them to stick to
the working rules.
2.1.3 Total productive maintenance
TPM is a management approach to maintenance that focuses
on involving all employees in an organization in equipment
improvement. It consists of a range of methods, which are
known from maintenance management experience to be
effective in improving reliability, quality, and production.
2.1.4 Single minute exchange of dies
SMED is one of the most desirable lean manufacturing tools
used to reduce the setup time of a machine. The SMED

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basically focuses on reducing setup time by converting all

internal activities into external activities and simplifying
internal and external activities [12]. Internal activities are
those activities that need the stoppage of machine, where as
external activities are those that do not need the stoppage of a
machine and can be done while the machine is being used for
production. SMED technique also suggests the use of one
touch mechanism like one touch screw and one touch holder
to reduce the setup time further. The SMED project should be
implemented in four phases. In the first phase, the whole setup
procedure should be analyzed. One of the popular ways is to
divide the whole setup procedure into small elements.
Videotaping of setup operation can be done to study the
process in detail. In the second phase, the distinction is made
between external and internal activities. In the third phase,
effort is made to convert as many internal activities as possible
to external activities. The internal activities are simplified by
making design change or work methods change. To achieve
the simplification in the design or method, the brain storming
session is conducted with operators who get involved in
regular setup activities. In the fourth phase, the new method
of setup is defined and documented.
2.1.5 Just in time
JIT focuses on the flow of material in the production system
and inventory level. The aim is to keep the level of inventory
to a minimum. This is achieved by allowing each operation to
pull the material from the precedential operation rather than
pushing material in the production system. Kanban, a signal
method, is used to indicate the need of replenishment or
production.
2.1.6 Kaizen
Kaizen is one of the most popular terms used in the field of
lean manufacturing. Kaizen means continuous improvement.
The environment is created at the workplace that motivates
people involved in the day-to-day work to contribute to make
the method of work more efficient or better by continuously
improving it.

3 Manufacturing plant, product, and processes

3.1 Manufacturing plant
Blue Star Dadra Plant is equipped with latest manufacturing
technologies and quality standards. The plant employment in
2010 was 425 that included 75 management staff and 350
operators. The Dadra plants functional departments include
Manufacturing Engineering, Production, Production Planning

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and Control, Quality Control, Maintenance, Reliability,

Dispatch, Human Recourses, and Finance. It also has a
furbished research and development department with facilities
for performance testing simulators for all kinds of products.
The plant is recognized for its initiatives in the field of
manufacturing practices and peoples involvement in day-today continuous improvement activities. All the manufacturing
facilities at the plant are ISO 9001:2008 certified and powered
through integrated Enterprise Resource Planning software.
Most of the components go through stringent test on reliability
and performance at test labs.
3.2 Product
Blue Star offers a wide range of contemporary windows and
split airconditioners, among others. The company also
manufactures and markets a comprehensive range of
commercial refrigeration products and services that cater to
the industrial, commercial, and hospitality sectors. In the
segment of airconditioning systems, Blue Star has a
comprehensive range of products such as chillers with screw
and hermetic scroll compressors, a wide range of air handling
and fan coil units, ducted package, and ducted split
airconditioners including the heat pump versions. The
company also offers unitary products such as window and
split airconditioners, deep freezers, cold rooms, water coolers,
and specialized airconditioners for precision control
applications.

Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2014) 71:307323

At the fin press, the aluminum sheet is cut according to the

width of the coil. This piece of punched coil is called fin.
The fins are stacked according to the height of the coil. There
are two types of coil used, white coil and coated blue coil. The
complicated operation of fin punching is done using very
precise tool set, mounted in fin press die. Some of the key
parts of die are punch, side cutter, row cutter, split cutter,
enhance cutter, feed fingers, slitter, and final cutter. The die
is of progressive type and the operation can be divided into ten
stations: retard station, form station, draw station, pierce
station, enhance station, re-flare station, edge trim station,
row cutting station, feeding station, and final cutting station.
At the hair pin bender machine, the copper tubes are bent
and cut into size according to the height of the coil. Main tools
of hair pin bender are cutter, mandrel rod, guide tube wellmeant, front plate, upper locking pin, lower locking, shaft
collar, drive belts, and bullets for hair pin bender.
At the lacing table, the punched fins and copper tubes are
assembled by inserting tubes into fins. Then, the assembly is
taken to expander machine. At the expander machine, the coil
assembly is mounted vertically on the machine, and the
expansion bullet is passed through inner grooved copper tubes.
After expansion, the fins get firmly locked with copper tubes.
The coils then pass through the auto-brazing machine to close
the open ends of the coils. The coils are then taken to coil
bending machine, when bending is needed in the coil. The
header and capillaries are then brazed with the coil at the manual
brazing station. Finally, the coil is tested for brazing joint at
water deep testing stage and subsequently dried in the oven.

3.3 Process
3.3.2 Fabrication shop
The manufacturing process of Dadra plant can be divided into
four categories: coil shop, fabrication shop, paint shop, and
assembly lines. The focus of this investigation is coil shop.
The other shops are briefly described below.
3.3.1 Coil shop
Coil shop is one of the most important divisions of Dadra
plant. Coil plays a very important role in airconditioning
system. The whole performance of airconditioning system
depends on heat transfer rate of condenser and evaporator
coils. The heat transfer rate depends on the manufacturing
quality of the coil. Consequently, it is essential to produce
good quality coils. The plant is equipped with the most
advanced technology to produce condenser and evaporator
coils. The important machines in the coil shop are fin press
machine, tube bending machine, expander machine, autobrazing machine, coil bending machine, water deep testing
setup, and drying oven. The flow diagram of coil shop is
shown in Fig. 2.

The sheet metal components are produced in fabrication shop.

The cold rolled close annealed galvanized coil is used as a raw
material. The key processes that are to be carried out in the
fabrication shop are coil slitting, punching, embossing,
bending, spot welding, and gas welding. After finishing
operations in fabrication, parts are sent to powder coating shop.
3.3.3 Paint shop
The basic function of paint shop is to paint components for
preventing rusting and providing a long working life. The
powder coating paint shop is equipped with hi-tech automatic
Nordson made powder-coating booth, the pretreatment
section, and automatic overhead conveyor and curing oven.
The part is loaded on hangers, mounted on overhead
conveyor, and passed through pretreatment section. After
passing through the pretreatment process, the panels enter into
the water drying oven. The component is then cooled through
natural cooling. From there it enters the powder coating booth

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311

Fig. 2 Flow process of

the coil shop

where the panel is coated with powder. Then, the component

enters into powder coating oven, where the dry powder is
baked. The panel then enters into the powder curing oven,
where hot air is blown over the panel. There dry powder gets
melted, creating a layer of film of paint. The process creates a
hard coating on the panel, and subsequently, the panel is
unloaded from the conveyor.
3.3.4 Assembly shop
The plant has a total of seven assembly lines to cater to wide
range of products. All the assembly lines are equipped with
automatic conveyor system, and pneumatic tools are used for
carrying out the assembly operation. All the lines have inbuilt
testing facilities for the final performance testing of the
product. The final product is assembled sequentially on
conveyors, with built-in quality checks during assembly
operations. Pneumatic tools permit torque-controlled rigidity,
and specially coated corrosion-resistant hardware provides
firm locking. Brazing of system tubing and the refrigerant
circuit is done on line under controlled conditions.

4 Implementation of lean manufacturing system

Implementation of LMS is a strategic move and requires the
commitment from all levels of the organization. It requires
commitment from the top management and also the
involvement of the middle management and operators. To
carry out LMS as an activity, a team is formed which includes
LMS co-coordinator and cross-functional team. The lean
members are comprised of manufacturing engineering
manager, production manager, manufacturing engineer,
production engineer, quality engineer, maintenance and safety
engineer, research and development engineer, shop supervisor,
and senior operators. Necessary orientation and training are
provided to the members of LMS before embarking on LMS
implementation. Implementation of LMS usually starts with
mapping current process performance level using VSM. To
carry out VSM, the first step is to identify the representative
products for which the VSM will be performed. Usually, high

moving models that are linked with most of the available

processes in the system are chosen as representative products.
The data related to selected products, such as process time,
work-in-process inventory level, setup time, machine
utilization fraction, and number of operators involved in the
machine/ facility, are collected for each product. Then the
percentage value addition (%VA) is calculated by summing
up total process time at each stage of the operation divided by
the total time needed for the product to pass through the
processes that includes value added and non value added times
[(VA+NVA)]. The detail of calculation is shown in Fig. 5.
The scope of possible improvement is then identified and
structured or unstructured brain storming sessions are
conducted to generate ideas for improving percentage value
addition (%VA). After idea generation sessions, each idea is
assessed for its viability, cost, and effectiveness. Then,
depending on the nature of improvement suggested, various
tools of lean manufacturing like SMED, kaizen, just in time,
line balancing, and fool proofing are applied to solve the root
cause of inefficiency. Tools like process failure mode and
effect analysis (PFMEA) can be used for risk assessment and
preventive action plan. Control plan is used to sustain the
newly defined process. It should be recognized that apart from
LMS tools, it is necessary to apply the principles and concepts
of engineering analysis, such as work design and work
methods engineering. Work design employs operations
analysis to study all productive and non-productive elements
of the operation to increase productivity per unit of time and to
minimize unit cost [14]. The steps that should be followed in
the implementation of LMS are systematically stated below.
4.1 Implantation approach to LMS
4.1.1 Value stream mappingcurrent state
To map the process, it is necessary to collect the various relevant
data regarding each workstation like machine utilization, number
of operators involved, number of setups per shift, number of
machines, and setup time. Table 1 contains some of the
important information data, which will be used to analyze the
current state of the coil shop. It is worth noticing that despite very

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Table 1 Coil shop machine

data (current state)

Machine
name

Number of
machines

Number of operators/
machine

Setup (min) per

machine setup

Average setups
per shift

Utilization %
per machine

Fin press
Hair pin bender
Expander
Auto-brazing
Coil bending
Water testing

2
2
2
1
1
2

1
1
2
6
2
1

10.00
10.00
60.00
5.00
3.00
0.00

5
5
5
10
0-10
4

0.70
1.00
0.31
0.27
0.36
1.00

low setup time, the machine utilization of auto-brazing machine

is only about 27 % due to its very high production rate,
whereas the same is 31 % for expander due to very high setup
time.
To map the process and calculate the VA and NVA times, it
is necessary to calculate WIP inventory level at each stage of
the operation. For the Dadra plant, the product mix is large and
the batch size varies with the size of the customer order.
Consequently, some assumptions are made to simplify the
calculations of WIP, as follows:

To carry out the process mapping of the coil shop, some

high moving models are selected and the process times are
collected for each operation involved in the coil shop. Table 2
provides relevant data for the selected coil codes. Table 3
shows the cycle time [((setup time/batch size) + process
time)(2/number of facilities)] for each operation. From
Table 3, it is concluded that in most of the cases, expander is
the bottleneck in the coil shop.

1. Average time for manufacturing fin at fin press is taken

as 2 min.
2. WIP between fin press and expander=(setup time of
expandersetup time of fin press)/2. It should be noted
that WIP between fin press and expander cannot exceed
the batch size.
3. WIP between expander and auto-brazing=WIP between
fin press and expander.
4. WIP after auto-brazing=WIP between expander and autobrazing (due to high production rate of auto-brazing).

Figure 5 shows the VSM diagram for the model CODX18013-00. VSM analysis reveals that the percentage value
addition (%VA) is 4.95 %. It is observed that the high setup
time of expander is making expansion operation a bottleneck
and causing a high WIP inventory and preventing one piece
flow across the shop floor. This high setup time causes the
material to be pushed by each workstation to sequential
workstation, which is not ideal in terms of lean manufacturing.
The high WIP level causes material handling problem, coil
damage, and other quality problems. To reduce the WIP level
between fin press and expander, it is imperative to reduce the
setup time of expander, so that instead of pushing the batch
material to the expander, it will allow the expander to pull the
material from the fin press. Also to reduce the WIP between
the expander and the auto-brazing, the production rate of the
auto-brazing machine should be reduced. Necessary
adjustment should be made in speed and number of operators
to attain a balance between output of two expanders and
output of auto-brazing machine. Furthermore, once the setup

Figure 3 shows the WIP location at the different stages of

the process. It is evident that the WIP between fin press and
expander is high due to the difference in setup time. The
WIP between expander and auto-brazing is high due to
different number of facilities, setup times, and production
rates. WIP after auto-brazing is high due to high production
rate of auto-brazing machine. Figure 4 shows the layout of the
coil shop.

Fig. 3 Work-in-process (WIP)

inventory location in coil
shop.

identifies

location of high WIP

4.1.2 Value stream mapping analysis and suggestions

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313

Fig. 4 Coil shop layout (current state). Note: Racks are used for WIP storage

time of expander is reduced and output balancing is achieved

between the expander and the auto-brazing machine,
necessary adjustment should be made in the capacity of lean
testing operation by addition of testing stations. Finally, the
layout of coil shop should be modified to facilitate storage of
tested coils, once the entire process is balanced. There is no
need of storage facility for storing semifinished coils.
Necessary changes should be made in the material handling
and storage system. VSM suggestion can be implemented in
two phases. In the first phase, setup of expander machine can
be reduced by SMED techniques. In the second phase, the
cycle time balancing can be done among expander, autobrazing, and leak testing machines. The layout can be
modified to create more space and storage racks can be moved
at the end of a shop to store coils for assembly.
4.1.3 SMED project for expander machine
From the findings of VSM, it is crucial to reduce the setup
time of the expander to minimize the WIP and stream line the
process. Consequently, it is vital to understand the machine
configuration and setup procedure. Figure 6 shows the
machine with operators and key components of the machine.
The current setup time of expander is about 60 min. The
target is to reduce the setup time to minimum possible level
using SMED techniques. To achieve this goal, the

Table 2 Process time (min) for each machine/facility (current state)

Coil code

Finning Expander Auto-brazing Leak testing

CODX-18D013-00
CODX-D260-00
CODX-12D025-00
COCD-16D177-00

1.69
0.87
2.11
2.27

1.30
0.80
1.30
1.30

0.29
0.21
0.20
0.45

3.27
3.19
3.31
3.15

videographic study of setup of expander is carried out to

understand the setup procedure and identify the areas of
improvement. The whole process of setup is then divided into
small elements so as to assess whether the element is external
or internal. External elements are those that can be performed
while the machine is working, whereas for carrying out
internal elements, machine needs to be stopped. In case the
element is internal, the possibility of converting that element
into external element is investigated. Each element is
examined to identify the scope of improving the element time
by improving design and work method that involve human,
machine, and material. Key steps in setup of expander are
holding block setup, back plate setup, row change setup,
receiver circuit setup, door plate setup, and side stopper setup.
The steps are stated below:
Step 1 Holding block setup: For adjusting the height, the
holding block is loosened up and hooked up with the
ram of the expander. The ram of expander is then
adjusted by using control panel. The rough reference
is taken by the scale attached at the one side of the
machine. One operator controls the panel and makes
the necessary adjustment according to the direction
given by the other operator. Once the height of

Table 3 Cycle time (min) for each machine/facility (current state)

Coil code

Finning Expander Auto-brazing Leak testing

CODX-18D013-00
CODX-D260-00
CODX-12D025-00
COCD-16D177-00
Set up time
No. of Facilities
Batch Size

2.09
1.27
2.51
2.67
10.00
2.00
25.00

3.70
3.20
3.70
3.70
60.00
2.00
25.00

0.97
0.82
0.79
1.30
5.00
1.00
25.00

2.18
2.13
2.21
2.10
0.00
3.00
25.00

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Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2014) 71:307323

Model :
Batch :

CODX-18D013-00 (current state)

25.00

Supplier

NVA

Customer

PPC

Fin press

HPB

Lacing

Expander

Pt
1.69
1.00
MP
ST 10.00
WIP 1.00
Shift 1.00

Pt
1.09
1.00
MP
ST 10.00
WIP 1.00
Shift 1.00

Pt
3.02
4.00
MP
5.00
ST
WIP 25.00
Shift 2.00

Pt
1.30
2.00
MP
ST 60.00
WIP 25.00
Shift 2.00

0.00

11.69
1.69

VA
VA=Pt

11.09
1.09

92..5
0

80.41
3.02

Auto
brazing
Pt
0.29
6.00
MP
ST 10.00
WIP 25.00
Shift 1.00

1.30

NVA=((Pt*WIP)+ST)

Coil
bending
Pt
0.00
MP 2.00
3.00
ST
WIP 1.00
Shift 1.00

17.14
0.29

Manual
brazing
Pt
0.79
MP 1.00
0.00
ST
WIP 1.00
Shift 1.00

3.00
0.00

Water
testing
Pt
3.27
MP 2.00
0.00
ST
WIP 1.00
Shift 2.00

0.79
0.79

Percentage value addition (%VA) = (VA/(VA+NVA))*100

3.27
3.27

0.00

NVA=219.89
VA=11.44
% VA=4.95

Fig. 5 Value stream map (VSM)current state (CODX-18013-00). PPC Production planning and control, Pt process time (min), MP manpower (no.),
ST setup time (min), WIP work-in-process inventory (no.), shift (no.)

expander is setup, the holding blocks are tightened

firmly by using pneumatic torque wrench.
Step 2 Back plate setup: The back plate is a part of the
expander that supports the coils from behind during
the expansion process. The plates are made up of
aluminum with steel structure supporting it. The
weight of each plate is around 50 lbs. The plates
are lifted manually by two operators and mounted
on vertical frame of the expander. The plates are then
adjusted for its horizontal inclination. The process
involves trial and error. A wrong alignment can cause
quality problems. There is also a significant risk of
safety hazard due to heavy weight of plates.
Step 3 Row setup: row setup is needed whenever setup is
done for a coil which has different coil thickness
(number of layers) with respect to the previous coil.

Fig. 6 Expander machine image (with key components). 1 Back plate,

2 holding block, 3 receiver plate, 4 door plate, 5 door plate support, 6
side support

The aluminum frame is positioned vertically to set the

row and disconnected and pushed forward or
backward depending on the row of the coil for which
the changeover (setup) is done. There is a safety
hazard or risk due to the possibility of the heavy
aluminum frame getting toppled and causing an injury.
Step 4 Receiver circuit setup: in this step, the receivers are fit
in the receiver plate by hammering the receivers in
receiver plate holes. There is a push fit joint between
the receiver and the receiver plate.
Step 5 Door plate setup: door plates are mounted on the door
frame. The number of door plates to be mounted
depends on the height of a coil. Door plates are made
up of aluminum with mild steel structure providing
the necessary rigidity to the entire structure. Each
plate weighs around 50 lbs. The plates are
preassembled with L-shape door plate supports. The
whole assembly is lifted manually and mounted on
the door frame. The surfaces of all door plates are
then aligned by making fine adjustment in joints
between the door plate and the door plate support.
Step 6 Side stopper setup: In this step, the side stoppers are
mounted in the groove of the door plate. The height
of the side stoppers depend on the width of the coil.
For multiple rows of the coil, additional height
attachment is mounted on the side stopper.
Before attempting to improve the process, it is vital to
understand the process in detail first. Figure 7 shows the
current expander machine with key components. Work
methods engineering study of the setup procedure is done by
video analysis of the whole procedure. Table 4 is the detailed
element-wise analysis of the setup of expander. The whole
setup is divided into 18 different elements (10180). Each
element is defined as external or internal element (in the
present instance all the elements are internal).

Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2014) 71:307323

315

Fig. 7 Expander machine front

and top view (current state).
1 Holding block, 2 back plate,
3 back plate washer, 4 receiver
plate, 5 receiver, 6 aluminum
frame, 7 door plate, 8 scale,
9 side stopper, 10 door
plate support

To generate ideas for improvement, the Gemba (hands-onKaizen) is conducted. The participants were shop floor
engineers and experienced operators. Following suggestions
are made after brain storming sessions at the workplace. It is
expected that the design change will eliminate all the nonvalueadded contents, and thus, element time will be reduced
accordingly. The suggestions are made to simplify the design
of the key component like receiver plate, aluminum frame
holding mechanism, holding block, back plate, door plate
support, door plates, etc. Five design Kaizens (Figs. 8, 9, 10,
11, and 12) were proposed to change the design of key setup
elements or components. Figure 8 (Kaizen 1) shows the design
change (before and after) of the row change mechanism.
Earlier the aluminum frame of the machine had to be adjusted
manually for different number of coil row. The operation was
very risky due to safety hazard and took a long time to perform,
as the aluminum frame had to be dismantled and moved

manually, depending on the number of rows of the coil. In

the proposed Kaizen 1, the aluminum frame is fixed with an
upper plate, which works as a gear rack and is connected with a
pinion gear. Furthermore, the upper plate is locked with lower
plate with grooved joint, enabling plates to slide over each
other by gear rack and gear pinion and also keeping them in
contact thus avoiding the risk of toppling of aluminum frame.
Figure 9 (Kaizen 2) shows the design change of the back plate
mounting mechanism. Earlier, the back plates were adjusted
vertically by lifting the heavy back plate (50 lbs) manually and
aligning the plate surface visually, which consumed
considerable amount of time and was prone to visual error. In
the proposed Kaizen 2, the round spacer of the back plate
holder is changed to a rectangular spacer for easy and accurate
vertical referencing from the scale. In addition, the scales are
mounted on both side of machine. In the proposed method, the
back plate bolts are tightened at the same level first, and then

316

Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2014) 71:307323

Table 4 SMED of expander (current state)

Operation
number

Operation

External/ Total time

internal (min)

Cumulative Remark(s)
time (min)

10

Loose the stopper

Internal

0.52

0.52

20
30

Take the ram down and touch to holding block

Lock the holding block hook with ram

Internal
Internal

0.18
0.30

0.70
1.00

40

Loosen the holding block

Internal

0.57

1.57

50
60
70

Take the ram up with holding block

Adjust the height
Fasten the holding block

Internal
Internal
Internal

0.12
0.37
1.20

1.68
2.05
3.25

80

Internal

1.32

4.57

90

Verification of holding block fitment by taking

blank stroke
Change the row as per coil rows

Internal

9.81

14.38

100

Adjust and fit the back plates

Internal

11.23

25.61

110

Adjust door plate

Internal

10.50

36.11

120

Receiver fitment in plate as per circuit

Internal

9.46

45.57

130

Make coarse setting of side stopper

Internal

3.65

49.22

140

Load the coil and fine adjustment of side stopper

(still kept a bit loose)
Lift the coil and check the alignment, adjust the side
stoppers, and adjust the height
Tighten the height stopper
Bring the tube sheet from the rack
Take the coil down and fit the tube sheet, tighten the
side stopper

Internal

1.90

51.12

Internal

2.50

53.62

Whole adjustment is done manually

using a spanner
Whole adjustment is done manually
using a spanner
Visually done

Internal
Internal
Internal

1.40
0.50
2.45

55.02
55.52
57.97

Manually done
Delay
Manually done

150
160
170
180

back plates are mounted directly over them. This new

operation eliminates the need of visual adjustment.
Figure 10 (Kaizen 3) shows the design change of door plate
mounting mechanism. Earlier, door plates were fixed in the
groove of door plate support frame. Due to the open groove,
the plated setting was disturbed during production requiring it
to be readjusted during setup. In the proposed Kaizen 3, the
continuous groove is replaced by a fixed hole joint and thus
fixing the door plates firmly in the position. Figure 11 (Kaizen
4) shows the design change of receiver plate. Earlier, the
receiver plate had a push fit feature for fitting receivers in it.
It took a long time to fix the receiver since each receiver was
hammered in a push fit joint. Hammering was causing wear
and tear of the plate requiring insertion of packing to fit receiver
tightly with plates. In the proposed Kaizen 4, new receiver plate
was designed with enough clearance between receiver pin and
receiver plate hole to fit the receiver easily and then locking the
receivers using spring, cam, and lever mechanism. New
receivers are designed with a grooved pin, which gets locked

Tool is brought from another

machine. No coordination
NA
Hammering had to be done. Fitment
could be made one touch
Single tool is used by both of the
operator
NA
Manually done
Single tool is used by both of the
operator
Need to understand the requirement
of this move
Whole adjustment is done manually
using a spanner
Whole adjustment is done manually
using a spanner
Whole adjustment is done manually
using a spanner
Whole adjustment is done manually
using a spanner

with the central movable plate of cam liver receiver plate.

Figure 12 (Kaizen 5) shows the design change of side support
mounting mechanism. Earlier, the door plate had a continuous
slot to fit the side stopper according to the width of the coil. The
operation was taking more time as trial and error was involved
in the process. In the proposed Kaizen 5, the continuous slot
was replaced with numbered round slots, with center pitch
distance of 2.54 cm. The side stopper can be directly fitted to
the slot according to the width of the coil; consequently, no
adjustment is needed. All these design Kaizens are expected to
reduce the element setup time considerably (by 75 %).
The improvements in other Kaizen targeting changes in
work method are as follows:
&
&

Provide scale at both side of the expander to avoid visual

adjustment error.
Keep the expander accessories on a movable trolley,
which can be easily brought near when the setup is going
on to save travelling time.

Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2014) 71:307323

Fig. 8 Design change of row
change mechanism
(Kaizen 1)

&
&
&

Before: The aluminum frame of the machine

had to be adjusted manually for different row of
coil. The risky operation due to safety hazard
and requires long time to perform.

Provide separate tool sets for operators involved in setup

to avoid waiting and delay.
Use pneumatic tools in place of manual tools.
Provide individual sets of side stopper for one to four rows
of coils to avoid side stopper height setup (one touch).

Fig. 9 Design change of back

plate (Kaizen 2)

317

4.2 VSMfuture state

Table 5 shows the proposed method of setup. Figure 13 is the
projected view of expander machine after implementation of
the Kaizens.

Before: Back plate is adjusted vertically by

aligning the plate surface visually, which
consumes considerable amount of time and
prone to visual error due to circular washer
and lack of reference point.

Circular Washer

After: The aluminum frame is fixed with a

upper plate which work as a gear rack and is
connected with the pinion gear. Also the
upper plate is locked with lower plate with
grooved joint, enabling plates to slide over
each other by gear rack and gear pinion and
also keeping them in contact, thus avoiding
the risk of toppling of aluminum frame.

After: The round spacer of back plate holder

to be changed to rectangular spacer for easy
and accurate vertical referencing from the
scale. After tightening back holders, plate
should be mounted directly. No need to
perform a visual adjustment.

Square Washer

318
Fig. 10 Design change of door
plate support (Kaizen 3)

Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2014) 71:307323

Before: Door plate holder with free end joint

which leads to variation and requires resetting
during the setup and production.

After performing data analysis and reducing the setup time

of the expander, which was an incentive for making further
improvements sequentially, the future state of the coil shop is
determined. Once the setup time is reduced, the line balancing
should be done between expander and auto-brazing by
decreasing the speed of auto-brazing machine. After
increasing the output of expander, sequential facility addition
should be made for leak testing to balance the entire value
chain.
As shown in Fig. 14, the layout of the coil shop is modified.
The distance between auto-brazing and expander machine is
reduced since space is not needed to store WIP between the
machines. In addition, the storage racks are placed at the end
of the coil shop to store finished coils Number of coil testing
Fig. 11 Design change of
receiver plate and receivers
(Kaizen 4)

After: Door plate holders free end joint

should be fixed to eliminate possibility of
variation during production and resetting
during setup and production.

facilities is increased to balance the throughput time at each

stage of the coil shop. These changes will help in reducing
congestion and coil damage and enhance safety.
Table 6 and Fig. 15 show the projected cycle time of the
expander machine for the selected models. In most of the
cases, either the fin press or the expander is becoming an
operation with the longest cycle time. Considering the current
utilization of fin press (70 %), this can be considered as an
ideal situation. The process is more balanced, and thus, overall
throughput time will be optimized. Figure 16 shows the future
state of VSM. The percentage value addition is 11.52 %. One
of the key changes is transformation of the push system into
pull system. This will lead to minimum WIP inventory and
higher percentage value addition.

Before: The receiver plate with push fit

feature for fitting receivers in it. Took a long
time, wear and tear of plate caused insertion
of packing to fit receiver tightly with plates.
Receiver had to be fit in the receiver by
hammering it in receiver plate holes. (Push
fit).

After: New cam receiver plate with enough

clearance between receiver pin and receiver
plate hole to fit the receiver easily and then
locking the receivers by using cam and lever.
New receivers with grooved pin which gets
locked with the central movable plate of cam
liver receiver plate.

Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2014) 71:307323

Fig. 12 Design change of door
plate for easy fitting of side
stopper (Kaizen 5)

319

Before: Continuous slot to fit the side stopper

according to width of coil. Involved trial and
error and take more time.

Table 7 shows the productivity improvement gained through

the implementation of LMS for the coil code CODX-18D01300. Significant improvement in percentage value addition can
be gained by implementing lean manufacturing in coil shop.
The percentage value addition is expected to rise up to 12 %
from the current level of 5 %. The increase in coil output or
productivity was 77 %, based on the completed coils per shift. It
also incorporates the one piece flow in coil shop that will reduce
the WIP at every stage of the operation. Reductions in WIP will
sequentially reduce the coil handling and the resultant damage

After: Round slots to be made at the pitch of

2.54 mm and side stopper should be directly
fitted to the slot according to the width of the
coil. No adjustment needed.

of coil. Spacious workplace will help in increasing safety at the

workplace and thus enhance the operators morale. As the setup
time is reduced for expander and auto-brazing machines, and
the capacity is increased for coil testing, the overall throughput
time will be reduced significantly.
Since the entire coil shop will be balanced and streamlined,
there is no need to run some of the machine in a second shift
unless the overall demand requires a second shift. This will
help in attaining better control over the production process of
coil manufacturing.

Table 5 SMED of expander (future state)

Number

Operation

Earlier time
(min)

Suggestions

10

Loose the stopper

0.52

Provide separate tool set for each operator

0.27

0.27

20
30
40
50
60
70
80

Take the ram down and touch to holding block

Lock the holding block hook with ram
Loosen the holding block
Take the ram up with holding block
Adjust the height
Fasten the holding block
Verify holding block fitment by taking blank
stroke
Change the row as per coil rows
Adjust and fit the back plates
Door plate adjustment
Receiver fitment in plate as per circuit

0.18
0.30
0.57
0.12
0.37
1.20
1.32

NA
Provide separate tool set for each operator
Provide separate tool set for each operator
NA
Provide separate tool set for each operator
Verify the need of operation

0.18
0.17
0.28
0.12
0.37
0.60
1.32

0.45
0.62
0.90
1.02
1.38
1.98
3.30

9.81
11.23
10.50
9.46

Design change (Kaizen 1)

Design change (Kaizen 2)
Design change (Kaizen 3)
Design change (Kaizen 4)

2.45
2.81
2.63
2.37

5.75
8.56
11.19
13.55

Side stopper coarse setting

Load the coil and fine adjustment of side
stopper (once kept a little bit loose)
Lift the coil and check the alignment, adjust
the side stoppers and adjust the height as
needed
Tighten the height stopper
Bring the tube sheet from the rack

3.65
1.90

Design change (Kaizen 5), pneumatic gun

to be used to firmly tighten the side
stopper

0.00
1.20

13.55
14.75

2.50

17.25

1.40
0.50

18.65
19.15

0.00

19.15

90
100
110
120
130
140
150

160
170
180

Take the coil down and fit the tube sheet, and
tighten the side stopper

2.50

1.40
0.50
2.45

Provide separate tool set for each operator

Tube sheet to be kept ready and near to
workplace
Can be avoided

Expected
new time
(min)

Cumulative
time (min)

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Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2014) 71:307323

Fig. 13 Expander machine front

and top view (future state).
1 Holding block, 2 back plate,
3 back plate washer, 4 receiver
plate, 5 receiver, 6 aluminum
frame, 7 door plate, 8 scale,
9 side stopper, 10 door
plate support

5 Discussion
LMS was successfully applied to improve productivity of
airconditioning coil manufacturing. The coil output per shift
(of 8 h, 450 min work time, 30 min personal time) improved
from 121 coils to 214 coils or productivity improvement of
Fig. 14 Coil shop layout
(future state)

76 %. This was possible through the application of LMS tools.

SMED was used for the reduction of setup time of expander.
Another LMS tool, Kaizen, was used to make design and
work methods change of the machine components and work
elements involved in setup of the expander to reduce the setup
time in multiple stages (continuous improvement) from 60 to

Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2014) 71:307323

321

Table 6 Cycle time (min) of expander machine (future state)

Coil code

Finning Expander Auto-brazing Leak testing

CODX-18D013-00
CODX-D260-00
CODX-12D025-00
COCD-16D177-00
Set up time
Batch size
Number of facilities

2.09
1.27
2.51
2.67
10.00
25.00
2.00

2.10
1.60
2.10
2.10
20.00
25.00
2.00

0.97
0.82
0.79
1.30
5.00
25.00
1.00

(4) fitting the receivers in the receiver plates, and (5) mounting
and adjusting side stoppers as per width of coil. Several
innovative design changes were made that included using gear
rack and gear pinion mechanism for row change, using
rectangular spacer and scale on the both side of the machine
for easy alignment of back plates, fixing the location of the
door plate in door frame to eliminate the possibility of
variation and need for readjustment, designing receiver plate
with spring, and cam and lever mechanism of locking system
for easy insertion of receivers in plate and one touch locking
and converting continuous groove in door plates to fixed holes
for accurate mounting of side stopper. Additionally, Kaizen
work methods improvement included the provision of: (1)
numerical scale on both sides of the expander machine to
avoid visual judgment error, (2) movable trolley to facilitate
accessories transportation, and (3) individual (operator) set of
pneumatic tools and side stoppers to avoid waiting and delay.
The success of the LMS application can be attributed in
particular to: (1) top management support for LMS
philosophy and a commitment for continuous improvement
through providing continuous employment [5], job assurance,
and resources; (2) formation of LMS team with members from
functional departments and appointing lean coordinator and
lean associate coordinate for future continuity of the LMS
program; (3) provision of necessary orientation and training
[4]; and (4) collection of relevant and accurate functional
(operational) data for the selected products.
It should be recognized that LMS as a philosophy or
concept provides the required environment to reduce waste.
However, the design and work methods improvement can
only be achieved through systematic engineering analysis that
includes work design and work method engineering. For
making meaningful improvements, often new approach and
innovations are required. To obtain the full cooperation of
work force for the continuous improvement, the top
management must follow the policy of continuous
employment and adapt progressive approach towards
business to provide job security to the workforce.

1.64
1.60
1.66
1.58
0.00
25.00
4.00

20 min, an improvement of 67 %. LMS tool, VSM was used

to analyze coil manufacturing processes. VSM (current state)
revealed that the value addition percentage (%VA) of the coil
shop was around 5 %. It also revealed that the setup time of
expander was the main reason for less value addition
percentage in coil shop and hence emphasized setup time
reduction of expander. Furthermore, it indicated that after
setup time reduction of the expander, it would be necessary
to balance other processes to achieve optimum throughput.
VSM (future state) projected the value addition percentage to
be around 12 % after implementation of all the improvement
projects, an increment of 140 % from the current level.
Furthermore, reduction of setup time of expander will also
reduce WIP inventory. This in turn will eliminate the need for
storing WIP among machines and thus save floor space or
improve plant layout. The changes will help to reduce
congestion and coil damage and enhance safety at the
workplace.
The reduction in setup time of the expander was achieved
though Kaizens targeting machine component and work
method involved in the setup of the expander. The design
changes or improvements in setup time of expander included
(1) setting up row for the coil with respect to previous coil, (2)
mounting and vertical alignment of the back plates, (3)
mounting and adjustment of the door plates on the door frame,

Fig. 15 Cycle time (minutes)

graph for high moving
models (future state)

3.00
2.50
2.00

CODX-18D013-00
CODX-D260-00

1.50

CODX-12D025-00
1.00

COCD-16D177-00

0.50
0.00
1

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Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2014) 71:307323

Model :
Batch :

CODX-18D013-00 (future state)

25.00

Supplier

NVA

Customer

PPC

Fin press

HPB

Pt
1.69
1.00
MP
10.00
ST
WIP 1.00
Shift 1.00

Pt
1.09
1.00
MP
ST 10.00
WIP 1.00
Shift 1.00

0.00

11.69
1.69

VA

VA=Pt

Lacing

Pt
MP
ST
WIP
Shift

3.02
4.00
5.00
5.00
2.00

11.09
1.09

Expander

Pt
1.30
2.00
MP
ST 20.00
WIP 5.00
Shift 2.00

20.08
3.02

Auto
brazing
Pt
0.29
6.00
MP
ST 10.00
WIP 5.00
Shift 1.00

26.50
1.30

NVA=((Pt*WIP)+ST)

Coil
bending
Pt
0.00
MP 2.00
3.00
ST
WIP 1.00
Shift 1.00

11.43
0.29

Manual
brazing
Pt
0.79
MP 1.00
0.00
ST
WIP 1.00
Shift 1.00

3.00
0.00

Water
testing
Pt
3.27
MP 2.00
0.00
ST
WIP 1.00
Shift 2.00

3.27 NVA=87.85

0.79
0.79

Percentage value addition (%VA) = (VA/(VA+NVA))*100

3.27

0.00

VA=11.44
% VA=11.52

Fig. 16 Value stream map (VSM)future state (CODX-18013-00). PPC Production planning and control, Pt process time (min), MP Manpower (no.),
ST setup time (min), WIP work-in-process inventory (no.), shift (no.)

5.1 Summary of major or deeper changes that caused

productivity improvement in coil manufacturing
The productivity improvement in coil manufacturing resulted
mainly from the reduction of setup time of the expander
through the application of LMS tools, which included VSM,
SMED, and Kaizen (continuous improvement). Additional
benefits were obtained through the reduction of WIP inventory
and improved pant layout resulting in reduced shop floor
congestion and coil damages and improved workplace safety.
The major changes of the shop that contributed to the
improvements can be attributed to top management support
for LMS philosophy, formation of LMS team, and provision
of necessary orientation and training in LMS.

6 Conclusions
In summary, the conclusions reached from this investigation
are the following:
1. LMS was successfully applied to improve productivity of
airconditioning coil manufacturing.

Table 7 Productivity improvement obtained through the implementation

of LMS
Parameter

Current
state

Future
state

Improvement
(%)

Setup time (min)

Batch size
Process time/coil (min)
Cycle time per coil (min)
Coil output per shift (450 min)

60.00
25.00
1.30
3.70
121.62

20.00
25.00
1.30
2.10
214.29

66.67
Na
Na
43.24
76.19

2. The coil output per shift (of 8 h, 450 min work time,
30 min personal time) improved from 121 to 214 coils or
productivity improvement of 76 %.
3. LMS tools such as SMED and Kaizen (continuous
improvement) were employed to reduce setup time of
the expander machine from 60 to 20 min, an improvement
of 67 %.
4. VSM, an LMS tool, revealed that the value addition
percentage (%VA) of the coil shop was around 5 %.
VSM (future state) projected the value addition
percentage to be around 12 % after the implementation
of all the improvement projects, the increment of 140 %
from the current level, which resulted from the setup time
reduction of expander machine.
5. Several innovative Kaizens (continuous improvement)
design change or improvements were proposed to reduce
the setup time of the expander. The Kaizen design
included rack (gear) and pinion (gear) mechanism for
row change, using rectangular spacer and scale on both
sides of the machine for the easy alignment of back plates,
fixing the location of the door plate in door frame to
eliminate the possibility of variation and need for
readjustment, designing receiver plate with spring, and
cam and lever mechanism of locking system for easy
insertion of receivers in plate and one touch locking and
converting continuous groove in door plates to fixed holes
for accurate mounting of side stopper.
6. Additional benefits were accrued through a reduction of
WIP inventory and floor space utilization resulting in
improved plant layout. This in turn would reduce
congestion and coil damage and enhance safety at the
workplace.
7. Several Kaizen target changes in work methods were
proposed that included providing scale at both sides of
expander, keeping expander accessories on a movable

Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2014) 71:307323

trolley, providing separate tool sets for operators and

using pneumatic tools instead of manual tools.

7 Future study
To extend the application of LMS at Blue Star Limited with
particular reference to airconditioning coil manufacturing,
future study is in order:
1. Further analysis of process time can surface new
possibilities of improvement.
2. Operator training in skill development would improve
efficiency and thus reduce operator setup and processing
time for the expander and other machines/processes used
in airconditioning coil manufacturing.
3. The lean manufacturing concepts can be extended to other
manufacturing or production areas of the plant such as
fabrication shop and paint shop. The results can also be
shared with other plants. The capacity balancing can be
done after optimizing the percentage value addition in
each shop.

8 Concluding remarks
The lessons learned from this investigation can be applied
successfully in similar companies. Before embarking on
applying LMS for manufacturing productivity improvement,
top management support for LMS philosophy is absolutely
essential.

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