MOVING FROM JOB-SHOP TO PRODUCTION CELLS WITHOUT LOSING FLEXIBILITY: A CASE STUDY FROM THE WOODEN FRAMES INDUSTRY

Authors

  • J Dinis-Carvalho
  • Anabela Carvalho Alves
  • Rui Manuel Sousa

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7166/25-3-864

Keywords:

Cellular Manufacturing, Lean Manufacturing,

Abstract

Cellular production is usually seen as a hybrid approach between job-shop and flow-line paradigms, reducing the major disadvantages of these two paradigms: the low productivity of job-shops and the low flexibility (in terms of products’ variety) of the flow-lines. This paper describes the implementation of a production cell in a production unit of wood- framed pictures and mirrors, which was originally configured as a traditional job-shop, without losing the necessary flexibility to face market demand and simultaneously increasing the production unit’s performance. By implementing a highly flexible cell, very significant improvements were expected for the system’s overall performance and the quality of the products. These expectations were met, and the implementation was successful, as demonstrated by the results presented. 

Author Biographies

J Dinis-Carvalho

Associate Professor

Anabela Carvalho Alves

Auxiliar Professor

Rui Manuel Sousa

Auxiliar Professor

Downloads

Published

2014-11-10

How to Cite

Dinis-Carvalho, J., Alves, A. C., & Sousa, R. M. (2014). MOVING FROM JOB-SHOP TO PRODUCTION CELLS WITHOUT LOSING FLEXIBILITY: A CASE STUDY FROM THE WOODEN FRAMES INDUSTRY. The South African Journal of Industrial Engineering, 25(3), 212–225. https://doi.org/10.7166/25-3-864

Issue

Section

Case Studies