Implementing cellular manufacturing in a make-to-order manufacturing system: A South African case study

Make-to-order was formerly the single most utilised approach to produce high variety, low volume products. The result was that only the affluent buyer could afford the products. Mass production played a part in the accessibility to products but contributed to the loss of uniqueness of the products. With the introduction of mass customization uniqueness and accessibility were addressed. South African manufacturers are facing growing international competition from low labour cost countries. Lean manufacturing is seen as an instrument to increase competitiveness through continuous improvement. According to numerous research papers less than 0, 5% of an organisation´s process operations are value adding. The majority of operations could be classified as waste. The paper addresses smaller production lot sizes and pioneering manufacturing approaches to increase competitiveness. The paper studies the design of a lean manufacturing approach in a make-to-order production system subjected to a considerable range of product types and with high-level of demand uncertainty. A production system utilising cellular manufacturing and line balancing were developed. Cellular manufacturing with a supermarket of parts is well suited for application in make to order manufacturing systems. A number of the seven wastes identified will be addressed.