Journal of

Mechanical Engineering An International Journal

Volume 9 No. 1 July 2 0 1 2 I S S N 1823-5514

Design Improvement of a Versatile Ducted-Fan UAV Adnan Maqsood

Tiauw Hiong Go

Design and Flight Analysis of the Kenyalang-1 Fuel Thomas A. Ward

Cell Powered Unmanned Aircraft
Effective Data Collection and Analysis for Efficient Ahmed Jaffar
Implementation of Standardized Work (S W) Numl Hayati Abdul Halim
Noriah Yusoft*

Knee Dynamic Analysis Based on 2D-to-3D Registration Amir Hossein Saveh

of Fluoroscopic and Angiographic Images Ali Reza Zali
Seyyed Morteza Kazemi
Sohrab Kcyhani
Hanafiah Yussof
Hamid Reza Katouzian
Qureish Vanat
Mahmoud Chizari

Longitudinal Static Stability of a Blended Wing-Body Rizal E. M. Nasir

Unmanned Aircraft with Canard as Longitudinal Wahyu Kuntjoro
Wirachman Wisnoe
Control Surface
Modal Extraction Accuracy Using Single Station Time A. F. Ghazali
Domain (SSTD) Technique A. A. Mat Lsa
 JOURNAL OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
(JMechE)
EDITORIAL BOARD
EDITOR IN CHIEF: Dr. Salmiah Kasolang - Universiti Teknologi
MARA, Malaysia
Professor Wahyu Kuntjoro - Universiti
Dr. Mohd. Afian Omar - SIRIM Malaysia
Teknologi MARA, Malaysia
Dato' Professor Mohamed Dahalan Mohamed
Ramli - Universiti Teknologi MARA,
EDITORIAL BOARD:
Malaysia
Professor Ahmed Jaffar- Universiti Teknologi Professor Darius Gnanaraj Solomon-Karuny a
MARA, Malaysia University, India
Professor Bodo Heimann - Leibniz University Professor Mohamad Nor Berhan - Universiti
of Hannover Germany Teknologi MARA, Malaysia
Dr. Yongki Go Tiauw Hiong - Nanyang Professor Bernd Schwarze - University of
Technological University, Singapore Applied Science, Osnabrueck, Germany
Professor Miroslaw L Wyszynski - University Dr. Rahim Atan - Universiti Teknologi
of Birmingham, UK MARA, Malaysia
Professor Ahmad Kamal Ariffin Mohd Ihsan - Professor Wirachman Wisnoe - Universiti
UKM Malaysia Teknologi MARA, Malaysia
Professor P. N. Rao, University of Northern Dr. Thomas Ward - Universiti Teknologi
Iowa, USA MARA, Malaysia
Professor Abdul Rahman Omar - Universiti Dr. Faqir Gul - Institute Technology Brunei,
Teknologi MARA, Malaysia Brunei Darussalam
Professor Masahiro Ohka-Nagoya University, Dr. Vallliyappan David a/1 Natarajan -
Japan Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia
Datuk Professor Ow Chee Sheng - Universiti
Teknologi MARA, Malaysia EDITORIAL EXECUTIVE:
Professor Yongtae Do - Daegu University,
Dr. Koay Mei Hyie
Korea
Rosnadiah Bahsan
Dr. Ahmad Azlan Mat Isa - Universiti
Farrahshaida Mohd. Salleh
Teknologi MARA, Malaysia
Mohamad Mazwan Mahat
Professor Ichsan S. Putra - Bandung Institute
of Technology, Indonesia

©UiTM Press, UiTM 2012

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, copied, stored in any retrieval
system or transmitted in any form or by any means; electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording or otherwise; without prior permission in writing from
the Director of UiTM Press, Universiti Teknologi MARA, 40450 Shah Alam, Selangor
Darul Ehsan, Malaysia, e-mail: [email protected]

Journal of Mechanical Engineering (ISSN 1823-5514) is published by the Faculty of

Mechanical Engineering (FKM) and UiTM Press, Universiti Teknologi MARA, 40450
Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia.

The views, opinions and technical recommendations expressed herein are those of
individual researchers and authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Faculty
or the University.
Journal of
Mechanical Engineering An International Journal
Volume 9 No. 1 July 2012 ISSN 1823-5514

1. Design Improvement of a Versatile Ducted-Fan UAV 1

Adrian Maqsood
Tiauw I Hong Go

2. Design and Flight Analysis of the Kenyalang-1 Fuel Cell Powered 19

Unmanned Aircraft
Thomas A. Hard

3. Effective Data Collection and Analysis for Efficient Implementation 45

of Standardized Work (SW)
Ahmed Jaffar
NurulHayati Abdul Halim
Noriah Yusoff

4. Knee Dynamic Analysis Based on 2D-to-3D Registration of 79

Fluoroscopic and Angiographic Images
Amir Hossein Saveh
AliRezaZali
Seyyed Mortem Kazemi
Sohrab Key lain i
Hanafiah Yussof
I/amid Rem Katouzuin
Oureish I cituit
MahmoudChizari
5. Longitudinal Static Stability of a Blended Wing-Body Unmanned 99
Aircraft with Canard as Longitudinal Control Surface
RizalE. M. Nasir
Wahyu Kuntjoro
Wirachman Wisnoe

6. Modal Extraction Accuracy Using Single Station Time 123

Domain (SSTD) Technique
A. E Ghazali
A A Mat lsa
 Journal of Mechanical Engineering Vol. 9, No. 1, 45-78, 2012

Effective Data Collection and Analysis

for Efficient Implementation of
Standardized Work (SW)

Ahmed Jaffar
Nurul Hayati Abdul Halim
Noriah Yusoff
Faculty of Mechanical Engineering
Universiti Teknologi Mara, (UiTM) Shah Alam

ABSTRACT

This research paper presents an implementation of one of the Lean Manufacturing

(LM) tools, known as Standardized Work (SW), at an automotive assembly line
in Malaysia. The main functions of SW are to design, develop, document and
visualize a set of manufacturing process with detail and proper study on it. SW
is conducted to raise production efficiency and quality. Quality here referred to
quality of the products to be produced and quality of the jobs to be performed.
With the main objective to demonstrate a systematic and organized guideline on
how data collection and analysis should be conducted with detail explanation
on tools and methods used for efficient implementation of SW, a case study was
conducted at an automotive components assembly line, at XYZ Manufacturing
Sendirian Berhad. There are five major phases involved in the implementation
of this research work; (i) observation, to understand the existing study area
conditions, (ii) data collection through observation, referring to company’s
production system and work study method, (iii) data analysis using SW tools,
(iv) development of standardized process, and (v) results evaluation by using
lean metrics to analyze the performance of the standardized assembly process.
Results show that, with systematic and proper implementation, SW offer a lots
of benefits such as help to increase efficiency and quality and process stability
in terms of productivity, quality and operator’s performance. Moreover, it also
helps to achieve LM philosophies which are wastes elimination and continuous
improvement during the implementation.
Keywords: Material and Information Flow Chart (MIFC), Lean Manufacturing,
Automotive Industry Malaysia, Standardized Work, Work Study

ISSN 1823-5514
© 2012 Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Malaysia.

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 Journal of Mechanical Engineering

Introduction

The current manufacturing industrial trend in Malaysia shows that the automotive
industries are experiencing rapid development driven by stronger domestic and
global market demands. This may be due to higher incomes and purchasing
power among Malaysians as well as continuous support and stimulus packages
by the Government. Through National Automotive Policy (NAP) which was
announced in 2006 and reviewed in 2009, the government provided protective
measures and subsidies in various ways to develop the national automotive
industry of Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) and suppliers as well
as the related industries.
As a result, local automotive industries in Malaysia such as Perusahaan
Otomobil Nasional (Proton), Perusahaan Otomobil Kedua Nasional (Perodua),
Malaysian Bus and Truck (MTB), a motorcycle manufacturer (MODENAS)
and a light vehicle commercial manufacturer (INOKOM) have shown the rapid
growth. This situation has led to the rapid development of latest and world-class
quality of vehicles such as car, motorcycle, truck and bus as well. This positive
impact influences the development of other local automotive industries in
Malaysia particularly their suppliers. The companies in the manufacturing sectors
are constantly competing to keep up with the latest technology advancement.
Thus, these companies strive to look for the best manufacturing practice for their
production area, which include technology and manufacturing system that can
be applied in their company.
The best manufacturing practice is not about the application of latest
machine and technology only. It must include the manufacturing system and
management as well. Due to this reasons, Lean Manufacturing (LM) system has
been widely used by many manufacturers around the world. In Malaysia, LM
was initiated by automotive manufacturers especially investors from Japan such
as Toyota, Kayaba and Honda. Nowadays, it is also utilized by local automotive
companies such as Proton, Perodua and their vendors.
LM is a team-based approach to identify and eliminate wastes in terms
of non-value adding activities such as waiting, inventory, transportation and
others through continuous improvement on the product flow. It is a generic
process management philosophy in Japanese manufacturing industry which
originates from the TPS and it was identified as “Lean” in the 1990s. These
systematics techniques with a set of powerfull tools such as Pull system, Value
Stream Mapping (VSM), Single Minute Exchange of Dies (SMED), Kanban
system, Standardized Work (SW) and others became the major contributors to
many process improvement with substantial advantage in terms of reducing
production costs and stability.
This research will utilize the case-based approach to demonstrate and
document the changes due to the implementation of one of LM tools, which
is Standardized Work (SW) in one of local automotive manufacturers in

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 Effective Data Collection and Analysis

Malaysia. The study was conducted at a real assembly area, which is a plastic
manufacturing plant owned by XYZ Manufacturing Sendirian Berhad (ASB).
Through discussion with management of the company, D55D assembly area
was selected as a case study area for this research. This assembly line produced
Air Cleaner Module (ACM) for Perodua. Currently, the production system at
this plant is practicing conventional production system; with operators perform
their tasks according to Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), developed by
Engineering Department during development of the product.
Thus, main objective of this paper are:
i. To demonstrate a systematic techniques of data collection and analysis for
efficient implementation of SW at the assembly processes.
ii. To standardized the assembly process at D55D assembly line with the aid
of the SW tools such as SWCT, OBC, SWC and PCCS and a set of Kaizen
activities such as wastes elimination, workloads balancing, introduction of
gravity flow racks system, re-layout and the others.
iii. To compare the performance of the new improved standardized process
through lean metrics comparison against the existing process.

Literature Review

Standardized work (SW) is one of the most important tools in Lean Manufacturing
(LM) implementation and was widely used by many companies around the world
especially in manufacturing area [1]. According to Supplier Kaizen Unit (SKU)
from Assembly Services Sendirian Berhad (ASSB), SW is used as a complement
to TPS, and most recommended for maintaining the improvement that has been
done at the manufacturing area. In the context of manufacturing field, SW is
defined as a detailed and documented department visual system provided by
management as the main reference for the production department especially line
operators to run their process by follow a series of tasks [1]. The main focused
of SW is human movements, where SW helps to outlines efficient, safe work
methods and helps eliminate waste while maintaining quality [2]. The detailed
process steps in the SW represent the current best practices for workers to follow
in order to complete their tasks.
SW is designed through detailed study and observation on the process which
based on products’ and customers’ requirements. This is to minimize process
variation among the workers, to eliminate unnecessary motion or non-value-
added tasks, to produce good quality product, safely and economically [3]. The
main tools used during developing the SW and descriptions of their functions
are as below are as below:
i. Time Measurement Sheet (TMS): Use to record and analyze a production
process to be studied in terms of process sequences and cycle time (CT).

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 Journal of Mechanical Engineering

ii. Periodical Task Check Sheet (PTCS): Use to record and analyze all the
identified periodical tasks in a set of production processes.
iii. Losses Analysis Check Sheet (LACS): This sheet is used to record and
analyze performance of the process in forms of operation availability and
loss percentage.
iv. Standardized Work Combination Table (SWCT): This sheet is used to
demonstrate the time relationship between manual work, machine work and
walking, and the takt time. It indicates the flow of operators work within the
operation in a single work or known as element process to indicate precisely
how much time is needed for each elements. This SWCT is normally used
as the main reference at a production area to aid operators by visualizing
the work sequence of the operation. It informs the operator how they should
perform the task to keep in the pace and to stay on schedule [3].
v. Operator Balance Chart (OBC): This chart is used to visualize all the work
loads in a set of process and compare them between work station and to
takt time. It also shows the time required to conduct every element during
the process for each work station. Through the OBC, the equilibrium of
workloads between work stations can be easily shown. The best production
line is when the workloads between work stations are totally equal or nearly
equal and closely matches the line takt time [3].
vi. Standardized Work Chart (SWC): This chart is used to visualize layout of
a production area to be studied. It also used to show the work sequence,
the quantity of standard in-process part at the line and movement of the
operator to complete a set of element process [3].
vii. Production Capacity Check Sheet (PCCS): This sheet is used to determine
machines capacity and also to identify bottleneck in the process. This is
because, one of lean concepts is the operators and the machines must all
be balanced to takt time [3].
viii. Cell Kaizen Target Sheet (CKTS): To record identified lean metrics before
and after an implementation of improvement activities.
ix. Cell De-bugging Checklist (CDC): Used as checklist to evaluate an
improved area.

Each tools used for specific functions, but with same objectives which is
to record and visualize the system for thorough analysis. Through empirical
studies by other researchers, it was found that the adoptions of these tools in
every companies or environment are varied depending on the process or system
to be analyzed.
Usually, the completed SWCT and SWC are displayed near to the operators,
as their main reference at the production line [8]. However, the SW tools are
not rigid documents. The documents should be revised periodically to increase
the effectiveness of the process. Imai [9] mentioned that, in order to ensure
the improvements that have been done to take place in the system, the existing

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 Effective Data Collection and Analysis

standard must be revised and upgraded. Kondo [7] suggested to encourage

experienced operators to improve their skills and use own initiatives to develop
the best process method. This can be achieved through their practical working
methods and experience. However, Emiliani [10] stressed that this method must
be checked and verified carefully by engineers to ensure it fulfilled product’s
requirements. Through empirical studies by other researchers, the common
results from the implementation of SW are:
i. Help to maintain process stability in terms of productivity, quality, cost, lead
time and safety as results when all the process is repeatedly run according
to the standard [4].
ii. Give clear direction to operators with clear stop and start points for each
process as well as to build their confidence levels in doing jobs correctly
and continuously [5].
iii. There is no Kaizen for the place where there is no SW. Therefore, the SW
can be a platform for continuous improvement activities at the production
area and opportunity for Kaizen [2]. By referring to a case study at XYZ
Company, found that SW helped in reducing inventory, optimum utilization
of space, and implement effective layout [6].
iv. The SW allows accessing current condition and identifying any problems
in the process quickly. This is because; check points and main process steps
are easy to track by using the SW.
v. Provide adequate training materials for train employees on the production
floor. Once the operators are familiar with the SW, it becomes a necessity
for them to do the tasks according to the standard [7].
However, based on findings by Saurin and Ferreira [11], there were
substantial gap between SW and real work that restriced the operators to follow
the SW which is due to the complexity of the product, the long CTs, and the
process performs by experienced operators, who most likely to develop shortcuts
and simplified the process.

Research Methodology

This research was conducted according to the identified methodology which

consist of five major phases which are: (i) line observation; (ii) data collection;
(iii) data analysis; (iv) development of standardized process and implementation
of Kaizen activities, and (v) results evaluation. Table 1 shows Research Design
Flow for implementation of this research. Research finding is based on the
all activities that have been implemented throughout the research study at the
assembly line.

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 Journal of Mechanical Engineering

Table 1: Research Design Flow

Documents Used Implementation Stage Final Target

TMS, PTCS, PCCS, SWCT,

Stage 5: Evaluation
SWC, OBC, LACS, CDC, CKTS

CKTS Stage 4: Work Standardization

and Kaizen Activities

RK
WO
LACS, SWCT, OBC, PCCS,

ZED
Stage 3: Data Analysis
SWC

RDI
TMS, PTCS

NDA
Stage 2: Data Collection

STA
SOP, PFC, Production Daily
Report, PFMEA Stage 1: Observation

The first stage is Observation. This stage conducted to understand the

existing assembly processes by referring to existing production documents
such as Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), Production Flow Chart (PFC),
Production Daily Report and Process Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (PFMEA).
The second stage is Data Collection. Three main activities were conducted at
this stage which are referring to company’s production system for previous
manufacturing records, line observation at the assembly line and conducting
work study method on the existing process. This is for thoroughly understood
the existing system and practices at the assembly line. Documents used are Time
measurement Sheet (TMS) and Periodical Task Check Sheet (PTCS). Third stage
is Data Analysis. It conducted by using a set of SW tools which began by Losses
Analysis Check Sheet (LACS), Standard Work Combination Table (SWCT),
Operator Balance Chart (OBC), Production Capacity Check Sheet (PCCS) and
Standardized Work Chart (SWC). Through these tools, detail analysis on the
existing assembly line was successfully conducted. The fourth stage is Work
Standardization and Kaizen Activities. At this stage, development of standardized
process and implementation of Kaizen activities were successfully implemented.
There are six major Kaizen activities were conducted which are: (i) simplify
and re-arrange the existing assembly processes; (ii) elimination of non-value
added activities: (iii) workloads balancing between workstations: (iv) reduction
of operator’s movements; (v) introduction of gravity flow rack systems, and
(vi) line re-layout. The final stage is Evaluate. It was conducted to analyze the
performance of the case study area after the implementation of SW and Kaizen
activities. However de-bugging process was applied beforehand as to ensure
the stability and effectiveness of the actions taken. Performance analysis was
conducted according to a set of identified lean metrics.

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 Effective Data Collection and Analysis

Present Scenario

The case study subject is a local automotive manufacturing company known as

XYZ Manufacturing Sendirian Berhad. The company design, manufacture and
supply all the OEMs and GRPs such as filters (oil, air and fuel), air cleaners
and charcoal canisters to most of local automotive manufacturers in Malaysia.
Moreover, they also manufacture their private label automotive filters called
GEP for domestics and international market.
With their mission statement is to be a major player in the design,
manufacturing and marketing of automotive components, this company strived
to deliver products and services with high quality and technology through
continuous research, development and process improvement. However, they are
facing constant pressure especially from top management as well as customers
to cope with the quick interaction response towards customers’ requirements
and fluctuating global market demands. At the same time they have to deal
with internal problems such as high changeover time, more operators’ working
overtime, high breakdown time, high PPM (parts per million) rejection rate,
and limited space at the production area. The condition became worst when
they have to cope with an increase in raw material price from their suppliers.
Due to these reasons, the plant has to run with high under recovery cost from
high operation costs and this causes the company’s profit to decrease. In order
to increase profit and reducing operational cost, management has decided
to improve their production process by applying LM techniques, which was
initiated at the D55D assembly line of Plastic Plant.

The Existing Process Flow

D55D assembly line produced Air Cleaner Module (ACM) to be delivered to

Perodua. Figure 1 shows the completed set of the ACM.

Figure 1: Air Cleaner Module model D55D Produced by the Company

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 Journal of Mechanical Engineering

D55D assembly line runs on a one-shift operation for 12 hours a day all
year long except for weekends, public holidays and major shutdowns. Every
day, the line is run with 2.5 hour overtime, while weekends were considered as
12 hours of overtime. Production is run according to production orders given
by planning department on a weekly basis. When orders arrive, production
will refer to production schedule to route the order. The production schedule is
prepared by the planner on monthly basis where when an order arrives from a
customer, planners will enter it into the planning system. Then, they will estimate
the completion date according to target CT registered in BOM and schedule
roughly for the production units on a monthly basis. Current practices show
that, daily overtime were applied to cover daily backlog which occurred due to
incompetence of the line to fulfill daily requirement as given by the planner.
Through line observation, found that there are two permanent operators
who carry out all the assembly processes; operator 1 operates assembly machine
at workstation 1 and operator 2 operates inspection machine at workstation
2. Figure 2 shows a sequential picture of the existing assembly processes in
workstation 1 and Figure 3 for inspection processes in workstation 2. D55D
assembly line is a semi-automated production process with manual loading and
unloading at the start and the end of the process. During the assembly processes,
product is carried from the first workstation to the next workstation manually by
hand. Operator has to assemble all the components on the plastic case manually,
and then it was fitted or clamped by using assembly machine. Inspection on the
completed part is performed by using the inspection machine. They performed
their tasks according to cycle time given by engineering department and the
outputs were monitored in hourly basis by production line leader.
For loading and unloading components and plastic parts, it was carried out
by material handler and usually in large quantities according to production order.
For large components such as top case, bottom case and air element, wire-mesh
is used as temporary storage in the assembly line as to reduce frequency of
loading and unloading processes. Small components such as spring, hook, and
gasket are supplied in large quantity, also according to the production order.
Each of the components is stored in one poly-box that was placed close to the
line operators so the operators can load the components by themselves whenever
they need it. By comparing the actual process with the SOP, it can be concluded
that the operators performed their tasks not fully follow SOP accordingly but
they had stressed that they are comfortable with the process and quality of the
products are meeting the customer’s requirements.

Implementation

Based on the first and second objectives of this research which are to demonstrate
the systematic techniques used during conducting data collection and analysis

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3 JM V9(1).indd 53
Figure 2: The Present Method of Assembly Process at Workstation 1

53
Figure 3: The Present Method of Assembly Process at Workstation 2
Effective Data Collection and Analysis

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 Journal of Mechanical Engineering

and to standardized the assembly processes, therefore the researcher would like
to emphasize on the following area:

Data Collection

Data collection basically can be divided into three main activities which are:

Previous Manufacturing Data

Previous manufacturing data at D55D assembly line was collected by referring

to previous manufacturing data such as hourly output, attainment, backlog,
production volumes, overtime and the others. The data were collected from
company’s systems which are Production Control System (PCS). The data were
daily recorded by production clerk every end of shift. Average data from these
data, for the past five months were calculated to establish baseline for analysis
and to calculate takt time. For comparison, the data were compared to target as
registered by engineering department in Bill of Material (BOM). The data were
summarized in Table 2 below.

Table 2: Previous Manufacturing Data from PCS and BOM (January – May
2011) for D55D Assembly Line

Actual
Manufacturing data Target
Jan 11 Feb 11 Mar 11 Apr 11 May 11 Average
Output per man hour (pcs) 50 46.4 45.2 44.6 44.5 45.0 45.1
Output per shift (pcs) 510 470.0 468.0 460.0 460.0 465.0 464.6
Reject cost components (RM) 0.00 162.20 121.10 117.7 206.1 173.0 156.00
Breakdown time (hour) 4.8 1.4 2.2 7.5 4.5 4.1 4.8
Overtime (hour) 100.00 195.75 311.42 172 209.05 159.6 193.56
Target production output (pcs) 10,480 10,600 12,420 10,500 11,200 11,040
Target production output (pcs) 10,072 9,820 12,071 10,040 10,906 10,582
Backlog (pcs) 408 780 349 460 294 458
Attainment (%) 96.11% 92.64% 97.19% 95.62% 97.38% 95.79%

With average production output is 45.1 pieces per man-hour as revealed

in Table 2, this line did not capable to fulfill daily requirement as given by the
planner. Even though the production was run 12 hours per shift on weekdays,
backlog was occurred almost every day which were resulted with high overtimes
especially on weekends and attainment reduction. Operators were frequently
stopped production due to material shortage, quality problems on the plastic
parts and updating production documents. Reasons for this situation are due to
poor materials supplier system, quality problems at injection line and too many
non-value added activities done by the operators. This resulted with high reject
cost components and reduction in line attainment.

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 Effective Data Collection and Analysis

Line Observation: Manufacturing Data

This activity was conducted to understand present manufacturing practiced and

current conditions of the assembly line and to identify wastes in the process.
Line observation or also known as Gemba walk in TPS was introduced by Taichi
Ohno. Ohno said that, the Gemba walk is an opportunity for staff at Toyota to
stand back from their day-to-day tasks to walk the floor of their workplace to
identify wasteful activities [12]. By equipped with a pen and a piece of paper,
detail line observation was conducted during normal production time and related
data were collected. Findings from this activitiy are as below:
1. Neither takt time nor pitch is being used where the production is run based
on target CT as declared in BOM.
2. Poor 5S where line is congested with wire-meshes and poly-boxes.
3. Rules of conveyance for material handler are not established and poor
supplier system caused parts shortage at the line.
4. Operators frequently stopped production due to materials shortage,
machine breakdown, spending time to update production report and prepare
documents for delivery.
5. Bottleneck between workstations with high WIP stock at the line.
6. Numerous back and forth movement by the operators due to poor layout
and large sized of wire-meshes used.
7. There are lots of non-value added activities such as re-inspect, marking and
rework process due to poor quality of the plastic parts.

Work Measurement – Time Study

For detailed analysis on how the current production processes were performed,
time study was conducted. This is to record all the production activities in terms
of processing time and motion of the operators along a specific production
process including value-added and non-value-added activities. The activity was
conducted as suggested by J. Hazier and B. Render [18] and S. A. Lawrence
[19].
Time Measurement Sheet (TMS) was used to records all elements process
and cycle times for each process. For accurate data analysis, each process element
was timed for ten cycles to increase the accuracy of the data collection. In the
TMS, process time was separated between hand time, walk time and machine
time. This is for clearly pictured the process. After all the readings were tallied,
minimum, maximum, average and mode cycle times from the ten sets of job
cycles were identified and recorded at the bottom of the TMS. Along the process
it was includes a number of periodical tasks. Same method was applied on
these tasks, where for this; Periodical Task Check Sheet (PTCS) was used to
run the analysis. Times for these tasks were recorded five times together with
frequency of the tasks been repeated. Video camera was used also to review

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the process in the future. All the collected data from workstation 1 and 2 have
been summarized in the Table 3 below:

Table 3: Summary from Time Study at Existing D55D Assembly Line

Total hand Total hand Total work Total Total actual Total CT Total CT Periodical
machine
time time time time CT (Mode) (Minimum) (Maximum) time
Workstation
63.10 3.90 6.0 67.00 62.50 69.90 11.00
1
Workstation
58.80 3.50 3.00 65.30 61.90 66.00 11.70
2

Actual CT for each workstation is equal to mode or most frequent CT. From
the table above, shows that minimum CT to complete the assembly processes
at workstation 1 is 62.50 sec, maximum CT is 69.90 sec and mode CT is 67.00
sec. Total hand time is 63.10 sec, walk time is 3.90 sec and machine time is
6.0 sec. Since there is no idle hand during the machine time, the time was not
included in the total CT. Total periodical time at this workstation is 11.00 sec
with main contributors are from the task of loading small components from
small plastic bags into STP boxes, removing layer pads from wire-mesh and
rearranging wire-mesh position after it was supplied by material handler. For
inspection process at workstation 2, data collected revealed that, minimum CT
to complete this process is 61.90 sec, maximum CT is 66.00 sec and mode CT
is 65.30 sec. Hand time is 58.80 sec, walk time is 3.5 sec and there is operator
waiting during run the inspection process, with 3.00 sec. Total periodical time
is 11.70 sec with longest times recorded are for the activities such as writing
Receiving Report (RR) and updating Daily Production Report (DPR). Most of
the activities can be classified as non-value-added activity and must be targeted
for elimination.
From these data, it shows that the differences between minimum and
maximum times are quite distinct especially at workstation 1. It can be concluded
that, operators’ variance in perform their tasks are quite large. Through the
observation at the line, variances happened due to the operators was performing
their tasks without adhering to SOP fully. That is the main reason why the actual
times are taken from the mode times, not from the average times.

Data Analysis

Data analysis on the existing production process was started by using data
in Table 5, where there are several manufacturing data that were confirmed
beforehand such as:

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i. Calculate standard CT for each workstation by using formula A below

[14]:

Standard CT = Actual CT + Periodical time

For workstation 1 = 67.00 + 11.00 = 78.00 sec A
For workstation 2 = 65.30 + 11.70 = 77.00 sec

From calculation above, standard CT for workstation 1 is 78.00 sec and for
workstation 2 is 77.00 sec.
ii. Calculate standard CT for D55D assembly line where CT for this line is
equal to bottleneck CT performed by the workstations. Therefore, standard
CT for D55D assembly line is 78.00 sec.
iii. Line Takt time (TT) for the past five months of production data were
calculated and shown in Table 2 below. To show how the takt times were
calculated, calculation for the month of January 2011 is shown below
[3]:

Total time available

Takt Time (TT) =
(Total volumes/ number of working days)
615 x 60 B
=
(10480/ 21)
= 73.94 sec

To establish the line takt time, minimum takt time from Table 4 was used
which is equal to 69.20 sec. It is based on the maximum fluctuations of monthly
volumes at this line.

Table 4: Takt Time at D55D Assembly Line

Month Jan 11 Feb 11 Mar 11 Apr 11 May 11

No. of working days 21 20 24 21 22

Takt time (sec) 73.94 69.62 71.3 73.8 72.48

iv. Standard number of operators for the line based on the actual Work Contents
(WC) at the line. It is calculated by using formula C below [14]:

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Total line WC
Number of operator =
Takt time
(78.00 + 77.00) C
=
69.62
= 2.23

From the calculation above, standard number of operators required at this

line is 2.23 or approximated to 2 operators, as current practiced at the study
area.
Data analysis was continued with conducting losses analysis by using
Losses Analysis Check Sheet (LACS) to calculate Operation Availability (OA)
and losses percentages at D55D assembly line as in Figure 4 below.

Figure 4: Losses Analysis Check Sheet (LACS) at Existing

D55D Assembly Line

Based on the actual output of 45 pieces per hour, Operation Availability

(OA) for the assembly process is only 83.75%. While for the inspection process
is 81.63% only. The OA was calculated as below:

Actual CT
Operator Availability =
Actual output time
67.00 D
= × 100
80.00
= 83.75%

The Operation Availability (OA) is quite low and must be improved to

increase productivity and availability of the line. Losses percentages for the both
workstations are also quite high with 16.25% at workstation 1 and 18.37% at

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workstation 1. It was identified that, the losses were due to the high periodical
times in the both processes.
The analysis was continued by transferring the data in the TMS into a SWCT.
Figure 5 shows the SWCT for workstation 1 and Figure 6 for workstation 2.
From the SWCTs below, vertical red line refers to the line’s takt time; vertical
blue line refers to new improved standard CT, while vertical orange dot refers to
actual output time. Figure 9 show that the actual CT for workstation 1 is 67.00
seconds, which is lower than the line takt time. The same pattern was observed
for workstation 2 with actual CT of 65.30 seconds. There is 3.00 seconds idle
time and bottleneck process during the paste foam process around the bottom
case. With actual output time of 80.00 seconds for these workstations, it’s far
exceeded the line’s takt time. The main contributing factor is long periodicals

Figure 5: SWCT at Existing Workstation 1

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Figure 6: SWCT at Existing Workstation 2

times at both workstations with almost 11.00 seconds per piece. Another factor
is due to other factors such as parts shortage and quality issues which were
affecting the productivity output of this model.
Bottleneck process at workstation 1 is at element process 9. This is due to
the clamp used was entangled with one another. Through line observation, it
was found that the operator spent time to release the entangled clamps before
assembling it with the top case. While for the workstation 2, the bottleneck
process is at element process 2.
To visualize all the workloads and to compare the workloads between
workstation and to takt time, Operator Balance Sheet (OBS) was used for the
next analysis. Figure 7 shows that the workloads of workstation 1 and operator
2 are quite balance. However, both exceeded the line’s takt time. This is the
main reasons for why unplanned production overtime was high.

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Current layout and movements of the operators were also analyzed.

Standardized Work Chart (SWC) was used to visualize the layout. This chart
is used to show the work sequence, line layout and the quantity of standard in-
process part at the line. It also shows the movement of the operator to complete a
set of element process. Figure 8 shows the SWC at the existing D55D assembly
line. As illustrated, this assembly line was designed in open U-shaped with
operators moving around their own working areas. The production flow is not
considered continuous as there are high standard in-process stocks in the process
which is located on the WIP table between the workstations. From the layouts,
it can be concluded that there are workloads imbalance between workstations
which has resulted in line bottleneck and high in-process stock. With current
production area of 22 m³, this assembly line congested with three wire-meshes,
two pallets and one WIP table which were located around the workstations.

Figure 7: SWC at Existing D55D Assembly Line

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These conditions increased the operators’ movement and products’ cycle times
as well.

Figure 8: SWC at Existing D55D Assembly Line

This activity was continued with analyzing current machines capacity by

using Production Capacity Check Sheet (PCCS). Figure 9 shows the PCCS
for existing D55D assembly line. This sheet is used also to identify bottleneck
in the process. This is because, one of Lean concepts is the operators and the
machines must all be balanced to takt time [3].

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Figure 9: Production Capacity Check Sheet (PCCS) at

Existing D55D Assembly Line

Sample of calculation for calculate manufacturing capability at workstation

1 is as below [13]:

Total available production time

Manufacturing Capability =
Time to complete/ piece + Exchange time/ piece
D
(615.00 x 60)
For Workstation 1 = = 473.10 pieces
78.00

With available production time of 615.0 minutes per shift, the PCCS shows
that maximum manufacturing capacity for the existing D55D assembly line
is 479.22 pieces per shift, with bottleneck process at workstation 1. Current
production daily planning is 510 pieces per shift, it can be concluded that the
line is not capable to fulfil daily demands by the production planner. Therefore,
assembly process at this line must be targeted to be improved in order to meet
current production volumes and at the same time to increase capacity per shift
for future expansion.

Kaizen Activities Implementation

Development of standardized assembly process was carried out with aid of a set
of Kaizen activities which focused on the both workstations. Main objectives
of this activity are:
i. To eliminate as much wastes or non value added activities as possible as
well reduce current cycle times of both models.
ii. To eliminate bottleneck and implement continuous flow manufacturing
system.

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iii. To reduce the shop floor area as well as reducing the motion times.
Before that, a set of lean metrics was identified and recorded in a Cell Kaizen
Target Sheet (CKTS). These metrics were used as baseline to set target for the
metrics after the improvements. The targets were based on the company’s target
and existing condition of the study area. The result and percentage of decrease/
increase columns will only be filled after the results from the implementation
were received. The CKTS must be checked and approved by the management.
This is to ensure the metrics use could be understood by all level of staffs
and it’s parallel with company’s targets and objectives. Figure 19 shows the
completed CKTS for D55D assembly line. For this research, metrics used are CT,
overtime and shop floor reduction and hourly output and production attainment
improvement. To achieve the objectives and targets for the metrics, six major
Kaizen activities were implemented which are:

Simplify and Re-arrange the Assembly Processes

Current assembly processes were simplified and re-arranged. This is to

permanently reduce current CT and eliminate as much as non-value-added
activities of both models so the production would run below the takt time. This
activity started with detailed observation on the current processes. After that,
the assembly processes were improved through activities such as combining
the elements process and movements where possible, as well as rearranging the
process sequence and simplify the processes.

Elimination of Non-value-added Activities

Most of non-value-added activities such as periodical tasks, operators’

movements, un-wanted checking and marking process as well as handling
documents were successfully eliminated. For the periodical tasks, main activity
which is loadings the components was eliminated by transferring the tasks to
material handler and the introduction of gravity flow rack system. Periodical
tasks related to wire-mesh such as removing layer pad and rearranging wire-
mesh position were eliminated also. Preparing of Receiving Report (RR) was
transferred to material handler while updating Production Report (PR) was
transferred to operator 2 which was considered as her external activity during
line preparation. Other improvement is the introduction of trolley for packing
process as in Figure 10. The trolley was designed with wheels where transferring
process of finished goods poly-boxes from line to line store has been conducted
without the operator has to picking up the poly-boxes. By comparing the existing
and the improved case study area, it was found that 9.20 seconds of the non-
value-added times have been reduced through the elimination of periodical tasks
and other non-value-added activities.

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Figure 10: Finished Goods Trolley Used by Operator at Workstation 2

Workloads Balancing Between Workstations

Workloads between workstations were analyzed and balanced. This is to

ensure the workloads between workstations are balanced and working at takt
time without any unnecessary wait or idle time. This is also to minimize in-
process stock, eliminate inventory and bottleneck in the process. This activity
was conducted by reducing current CT especially at the bottleneck process
by eliminating idle hand and non-value-added activities and simplifying the
assembly processes. As an example is on the element process 9 at workstation
1 where the operator was spent time to release the entangled clamps. CT for
this process was reduced by train the operator on the correct method to storage
the clamps into the poly-box.

Reduction of Operators’ Movements

Reductions of operators’ movements were applied on hand movements and

walking activity. It was carried out by combining and eliminating the movements
with application of gravity flow racks system and line re-layout to optimize the
effects. Through this activity, operators were trained to use their both hands
simultaneously, as illustrated in Figure 11. This activity is most effective for
operator at workstation 1, where the operator has to grab and handle a lot of small
components along the assemble processes. For this purpose, the location of boxes
were re-arranged and placed nearer to the operator for easy access and stacked
according to process sequence depending on the components to be assembled.
But the difficulty surfaced when the location of STP boxes and the poly-boxes
were being determined. The final locations could not be decided through the

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researcher’s observation and analysis only, but has to be done by referring to

the operators themselves. Therefore, numerous have been conducted to ensure
that they were fully comfortable with the locations. This is to ensure smooth
hands movement during the operation. Proper labelling system on both sides of
the flow racks as in Figure 12 was also provided to ensure correct components
supplied by material handler.

Figure 11: Operator Uses Both Hands During Pick Up Plastic

Parts from Poly-box

Figure 12: Labelling System on the Flow Racks

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Introduction of Gravity Flow Rack System

Gravity flow rack system was introduced with the main objective to present
the parts and components as close as possible to the operators’ point of use. It
was designed to have not more than two cycles of delivery quantities at one
time. It has slight inclination and few rollers so that process of storage is more
ergonomic. In addition, the same rack has gravity feed out to get emptied
containers out from the assembly line. Standardization on poly-boxes used was
also implemented as the main temporary packaging methods for the components.
With this system, First in First Out (FIFO) system is guaranteed as well as
reduced components stocks quantity in the line. Through this activity as well,
the distance of movements were reduced with reduction of assembly area, and
operators can use both hands simultaneously. Figure 12 shows an example of
the gravity flow racks system applied at the assembly line.

Line Re-layout

Re-layout activity was started with layout simulation by using colourful

cardboard and tape. This is a practical and low cost method as the layout could
be easily refined and changed without physical changes on the real assembly
line. The proposed layout promised a 22% reduction in the production floor
area. Subsequently, re-layout activity was conducted at the assembly area. The
area was designed with application of continuous flow manufacturing system
and in U-shape cell to improve line balancing and maximize communication
between operators. As a result, the space area of the assembly line managed
to be reduced by 18.18%, which is from 22 m³ to 18 m³. This is done mainly
through elimination of wire-mesh and pallets from the assembly line and by
placing first and last processes close together.

Results and Evaluation

Analysis of results was conducted to evaluate the performance of the standardized

assembly process. It was conducted in form of results comparison by using lean
metrics and line productivity against the existing conditions. It was started with
reviewing the standardized process and data collection. Procedure used during
conducting these activities was following the time study method as applied
before. Through data collection by using TMS and PTCS, new improved CT and
periodical times for both workstations were summarized in the Table 5 below.

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Table 5: Summary of New Improved Cycle Times at D55D Assembly Line

Model/Actual Periodical time Standard CT

Area Minimum CT Maximum CT CT (sec) (sec) (sec)
Workstation 1 62.00 64.80 63.00 2.50 65.50

Workstation 2 61.90 64.60 62.20 2.40 64.60

From Table 5, observed that the actual CT or mode time for workstation 1
is 63.00 sec with 5.97% reduction. Main reduction is from reduction of hand
time from 63.10 sec reduced to 59.1 sec. This is due to improvement activity
on the process assemble leaf spring and hooks with top case, where the CT
was reduced from 16.50 sec to 12 sec only. New improved periodical time for
this workstation is 2.5 sec only, which is equal to 77.30% of reduction. Main
reductions were come from the elimination of non-value-added activities such
as loading components and re-arrange the wire-meshes positions.
While for the workstation 2, there is 4.8% reduction from the existing time
which is from 65.30 sec to 62.20 sec. This is as results from the reduction of hand
time which is from 58.80 sec to 56.2 seconds and reduction in walk time which is
from 3.50 sec to 3.00 sec. As the existing process, machine times were included
in the total cycle time because of there is idle hand during the auto-inspection
process due to safety purposes. New improved periodical time is 2.4 sec or equal
to 79.5% reduction from the existing time. Main reductions were came from the
elimination of non-value-added activities such as loading components, polish
part and arrange empty poly-boxes which were resulted from the introduction
of gravity flow racks system and others Kaizen activities.
Through line observation, it was found that the new improved hourly output
is 54 pieces per hour. From all these results, several standard manufacturing
data were established as conducted before. Table 6 shows the data which were
compared with the existing line.

Table 6: Standard Manufacturing Data Comparison

Manufacturing data Before After

78.00 sec 65.50 sec
Standard CT
77.00 sec 64.60 sec
Standard line CT 78.00 sec 65.50 sec
Standard number of operator 2.23 ≈ 2.0 1.88 ≈ 2.0
Workstation 1 83.75% 98.25%
Operation availability
Workstation 2 81.63% 97.17%
Manufacturing Workstation 1 473.10 pc 563.40 pc
capacity Workstation 2 479.22 pc 571.20 pc

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From Table 6, it can be concluded that the reduction of standard CT has

resulted in increasing of production output at the improved line which is from
45 pieces per hour to 54 pieces per hour and manufacturing capacity which is
from 473.10 pc to 563.40 pc per shift. With current production daily planning
is 510 pieces per shift, the line is now capable to fulfil their daily production
demands as well as reducing their overtime.
To visualize the relationship between new improved standard CT with the
takt time and the output time, the data were translated into SWCT as in Figure
13 for workstation 1 and Figure 14 for workstation 2. The SWCTs show that
the new improved standard CT and output times for both workstations are lower
than the line takt time. Main reduction came from the reduction of hand times
(HT) at both workstations. For the walk times (WT), reduction was occurred
at workstation 2. While the machine times (WT) were maintained at both
workstations as the existing line.
To analyze the balancing of new improved workloads between workstations,
Operator Balance Chart (OBC) or Yamazumi was used to visualize them in
form of bar charts as shown in Figure 15. From the figures, it was found that
the workloads between workstation were well balanced in terms of total CT per
piece. The CT for each model is balanced just below the takt time. Moreover,
the actual output time was also reduced less than the line takt time.
Improved layout of D55D assembly line was visualized in the Standardized
Work Chart (SWC) as in the Figure 16. The improved layout was reduced the
existing assembly area from 22 m³ to 18 m³. The main reductions came from
the introduction of gravity flow racks system. It was used to replace the existing
wire-meshes and pallets and to putting first and last processes close together.
The improved layout was designed in open U-shaped cell with application
of continuous flow manufacturing system. Distances of movements of both
operators have been reduced by keep them move within the optimize workspace
as short as possible and to get them well communicate in each other. Chute was
introduced to replace the existing WIP table. The chute was designed to allow
minimum standard in-process stock at the line, as to allow the assembly process
continuously flow.
Subsequently, de-bugging process was carried out to monitor stability
of the case study area. At the same time, all comments and findings from the
production and line operators were collected and recorded as well. The study
area was daily evaluated and assessed by using Cell De-bugging Checklist
(CDC) and answering all questions in the CDC. If there is any abnormality found
during the evaluation, the necessary corrections will made immediately and
monitored again as to ensure the effectiveness of the action taken and stability
of the standardized process. Figure 17 shows the CDC, from the first day of
de-bugging process in the assembly line.
As a rule of thumb, once the problem was identified, immediate action
was taken to eliminate it with a short term countermeasures. This is to avoid

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Figure 13: SWCT at Improved Workstation 1 Figure 14: SWCT at Improved Workstation 2

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Figure 15: OBC at Improved D55D Assembly Line Figure 16: SWC at Improved D55D Assembly Line
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Figure 17: The CDC on the First Day of Line Evaluation at Improved D55D Assembly Line

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Figure 18: The CDC on the Last Day of Line Evaluation at Improved D55D Assembly Line
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 Journal of Mechanical Engineering

the production line from stop. Then, root causes were identified though detail
analysis and observation. Through that, two types of countermeasures were
identified and implemented which are for long term and recurrence prevention.
Lastly, the corrected actions were monitored again as to ensure the effectiveness
of the actions taken and stability of the line. This activity was continued until the
researcher and the management satisfied with performances of the line. Figure 18
shows the CDC, from the last day of de-bugging process in the assembly line. It
shows that, most of the targets for the check points were achieved which proves
that stability of the standardized assembly process has also been attained.
After being satisfied with the performance of the improved assembly line,
results collected were evaluated again to establish final results. Identified Lean
metrics as listed in Cell Kaizen Target Sheet (CKTS) were used to perform results
comparison. Figure 19 below shows the completed CKTS with final results.
From the CKTS above, line CT was reduced by 17.60%, which is from
80.70 sec to 66.50 sec, managed to be lower than line takt time. Subsequently, it
increased also production output from 45 pieces to 54 pieces per man hour and
attainment from 95.79% to 98.95%. Average overtime was also reduced from
193.56 hour to 55.0 hour per month with 71.59% improved. The last metrics
shows that the shop floor area was managed to reduce by 18.18%, which is
from 22 m³ to 18 m³. In addition, the improved line is now fully operating
under continuous flow manufacturing system. Under this system, parts can be
produced much faster, resulting in profits being collected in a shorter period of
time [16], [17].

Conclusion and Recommendation

This research introduced one of Lean Manufacturing tools known as Standardized

Work (SW) at a real automotive assembly area through a case based study at
Advantech Sendirian Berhad. Significant achievements relevant to the semi-
automated and flexible assembly area mainly for the studied area, which is D55D
assembly line, were generated from this research study. Therefore, the following
conclusions are essential to conclude the accomplishment of this research study
against the objectives set.
i. This research was successfully demonstrating a systematic technique of data
collection and analysis for efficient implementation of SW in a real assembly
processes. With the systematic implementation as well as the right tools such
as TMS, PTCS, time study methods and LACS. it really helped to assessed and
analyzed the existing status of the studied area in forms of existing line cycle
time, hourly output, non-value added activities, manufacturing capabilities,
line balancing, bottleneck and layout of the line. Through researcher’s
experience along the implementation, it was observed that all the tools were

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Figure 19: Cell Kaizen Target Sheet for Improvement Activities
at D55D Assembly Line
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 Journal of Mechanical Engineering

helped also to allow the people in the company to more understand about
their production system.
ii. With the help of the SW tools such as SWCT, OBC, SWC, PCCS and CDC
and implementation of the six main Kaizen activities which are: (i) simplify
and re-arrange the assembly processes; (ii) elimination of non-value-added
activities; (iii) workloads balancing between workstations; (iv) reduction
of operator’ movements; (v) introduction of gravity flow rack system, and
(vi) line re-layout, existing assembly process at D55D assembly line was
successfully improved and standardized.
   Review on the standardized system shows reduction in the line CT by
17.60%, which is from 78.00 sec to 69.20 sec with the line, was run at lower
that the takt time. Main reduction came from the elimination of the most
periodical tasks and walk times at both workstations. Periodical time at
workstation 1 was reduced by 77.3% and at workstation 2 by 79.5%. Total
walk times were also reduced by 10.80%. This reduction was a result from
the reduction of shop floor area through introduction of gravity flow rack
system and improvement on the existing assembly processes and layout.
As a result, there are increasing of hourly production output with 16.67%
and production attainment with the latest attainment is 98.95%, and at
the same time reduction in production overtime by 71.59%. Through the
introduction of gravity flow rack system, shop floor area was successfully
reduced by 18.18%.
   Therefore, it can be concluded that, with the aid of a set of SW tools
and Kaizen activities, SW was successfully introduced and implemented
at the D55D assembly line with lots of benefits to the company.
iii. Performance of the new improved standardized process was successfully
evaluated by using lean metrics comparison against the existing process. By
referring to Cell Kaizen Target Sheet in Figure 21.0, most of the targets for
each identified metrics were successfully achieved except for line attainment
and shop floor reduction.
In this research, it was founds that the successfulness of SW implementation
is proved in a systematic manner with the help of effective data collection and
analysis, a set of SW tools and implementations of Kaizen activities. To maintain
the stability of the improved case study area, some recommendation actions that
should take considerations by the company are such as:
i. It is highly recommended to the company to keep updating all the existing
production documents such as Standard Operating Procedure (SOP),
Process Flow Chart (PFC) and Process Failures Modes and Effects Analysis
(PFMEA) and the SW tools with the latest condition of the assembly
processes. This is for standardization purposes on the new improved process
and system. Then, relevant documents such as SOP, SWCT and SWC should
be displayed near to the operators so the operators can clearly see them as
their main reference.

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ii. It also recommended to establish material supplier system, to ensure the

line continuously flow without interruption due to parts shortage.
iii. One of main root causes for components reject and stability issues at the
MYVI assembly line were found due to quality problems on the plastic parts
from injection area. Therefore it is highly recommended to the company
to implement Taguchi’s method of parameter design especially at their
injection molding area. This is one of proven method which has been
applied by many manufacturers to optimize the various process parameter
associated with the production process. Through this, rejects from injection
molding can be targeted to be reduced as well as reducing tendency of the
rejected parts from escape to assembly area.

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