Lean manufacturing implementation in the sewing industry

Abstract

The principle of lean manufacturing has been successfully implemented in a number of industries, including electronics and automotive. This is not the case for other industries, such as the sewing industry, and this research focuses on implementation of lean manufacturing techniques in the sewing industry. One specific sewing line in a sewing plant was selected as a case study, and sewing process characteristics are identified. Five types of waste are identified and analyzed in the sewing line with the aid of value stream mapping: defects, inventory, overproduction, transportation, and waiting time. Applied lean manufacturing techniques include line balancing, layout redesign, and quality at the source. Impacts of implemented lean techniques on production are analyzed, and an improved future-state value stream map is developed. Results show approximately 96% reduction in production wastes in addition to 43% reduction in lead time.