Lean Manufacturing Design of a Two-Sided Assembly Line Balancing Problem Work Cell

Line balancing is a very important concept in Lean manufacturing. It ensures that operators are not idling but instead work effectively for continuous productivity particularly in two-sided assembly lines. In the study conducted at a glove making facility, cuffing task (of 210 mm length) at three workstations/side has an average lower speed of 23 pieces/min. Effective cycle time of 0.4 min calculated using heuristic method was well applied for line balancing. However, the idea of additional workstation was not sustainable to meet new customers’ demand. Alternatively, a practical integrated approach was introduced as the solution. Load balancing of higher than 68 packs/min that streamed down the work cell could be enhanced by stopper jigs installation and operators’ positions rotation (and repositioning). As a result, the value stream levelling (Mura) has shown improvement in the output by 27–30 pieces/min and 70–72 packs/min at maintainable fixed costs. The findings were evidence that the techniques used could reduce operational wastes (Muda) namely transport, stocks, movement, and waiting. Just-In-Time (JIT) concept as depicted by smooth production flow also helped to accommodate the cells production being carried out at constant and predictable rate. Hence, the process-based practice could effectively encourage a flexible Lean practice.