Development of value stream map for an Indian automotive components manufacturing organization

Purpose – This paper aims to apply Value Stream Mapping (VSM) for enabling leanness in an Indian automotive components manufacturing organization. Design/methodology/approach – The study was initiated with the selection of product line, construction of current state map, identification of various wastes and the development of future state map. The improvement proposals were subjected to implementation and performance measures were quantified. Findings – The expected outcomes of the study include the quantification of wastes, improvement in manpower productivity, quality improvement and throughput time reduction. Research limitations/implications – The implementation study has been conducted in only one manufacturing organization. The experiences gained by the conduct of this implementation study are feasible and deployable in similar manufacturing organizations. Practical implications – The results of the study indicated that significant improvement in lean characteristics is possible as a result of the implementation of VSM. Originality/value – The paper reports a real-time study conducted in an automotive components manufacturing organization. Hence, the contributions are original.