Handbook of Cellular Manufacturing Systems
Cellular manufacturing (CM) is the grouping of similar products for manufacture in discrete multimachine cells. With the help of case studies drawn from a wide range of industries, a large number of authors cover the history and basic principles of cellular.
Manufacturers show solid commitment to innovation: cellular manufacturing, in-sourcing prove profitable.(Manufacturing)
At a luncheon during the WESTEC manufacturing trade show later this month, attendees will hear about the future of aerospace manufacturing in Southern California.
David M. Bowman, vice president and C-17 program manager for Boeing Integrated Defense Systems, is the keynote speaker at the March 28 luncheon co-sponsored by the Los Angeles and San Fernando Valley chapters of the National Tooling and Machining Association.
But those attendees would probably learn just as much by visiting the shop floor of Roberts Tool Co., Inc. in Chatsworth.
Caveats for cellular manufacturing. Tooling & Production
According to Bob Jeske, partner, Ingersoll Engineers Inc, Rockford, IL, cellular manufacturing has succeeded admirably when customer demand for just-in-time delivery requires just-in-time manufacturing to avoid the buildup of costly inventories. Sometimes however, cells don't work well, or even work at all. Here are his guidelines for deciding whether to adopt cellular manufacturing for your operations:
Technologically, cell formation is relatively easy, he explains:
* Processes that go together to create the product are identified and moved close to one another.
La-Z-Boy plant incorporates new manufacturing process
Companies like La-Z-Boy, which recently completed a company-wide transition to cellular manufacturing, are finding more efficient means of producing American-made goods.
The cellular manufacturing approach relies on team "cells," rather than lines, to assemble goods from start to finish. The structure improves quality and increases output, and is regarded as a more efficient process, according to La-Z-Boy.
Pros & Cons of Lean Manufacturing
The annual survey of manufacturers conducted by Industry Week magazine for 2001, and reviewed by a national engineering society, indicates that the average manufacturing company is "just beginning its journey to adopt lean strategies." The review confirms there is a small but definite increasing trend in the movement toward adopting lean manufacturing techniques within US plants. However, the survey also confirms that many companies are "struggling to adapt their manufacturing processes to lean principles."
