Lean manufacturing and a lean manufacturing implementation in MAN Türkiye A.Ş.

In today?s complex environments the need for continuous improvements in products and processes is widely recognised. Lean Manufacturing is a group of methods, which are being increasingly implemented around the world, that aim to eliminate waste and inefficiency from the manufacturing process, leading to lower costs and greater competitiveness for manufacturers. In fact, Lean Manufacturing is one of the most important production systems for manufacturers.In this study, the cooler pre-assembly area in MAN Türkiye A.Ş, which is one of the leader bus manufacturers in Turkey, was analyzed according to the principles of Lean Manufacturing. In the practice, all the processes in the cooler pre-assembly area were examined and work flows were determined. Several time studies according to these work flows in both situations ( current and improved) were made by using REFA time measurement techniques. Also by using Arena simulation program, current and improved stiuations were compared. Thus, the works which don?t add any value were determined and eleminated . An avarage ratio of % 42 in pre-assembly times and 46 m2 in plant layout usage were gained.The workers capacity plans were re-arranged and the amount of workers was decreased from 3 to 2 workers as a result of Lean Manufacturing implementation.