Multiple value stream mapping: How to implement work load control in complex systems

Nowadays, lean thinking has proven its effectiveness in reducing wastes and boosting manufacturing performances. Unfortunately, there is no foolproof way to implement it, as lean principles must always be reinterpreted to fit the specific requirements of the industry where they need to be applied. What remains constant in every implementation is that, first of all, the status quo of the company must be understood, before envisaging lean solutions. This necessity is even more strategic for those manufacturing environments where performances depend on several interrelated parameters, such as High-Variety Low-Volume (HVLV) job shops. This paper tackles this problem by introducing the Multiple-Values Stream Mapping (M-VSM), an innovative framework integrating Values Stream Mapping with other tools typical of manufacturing engineering. Although the framework is flexible in nature, it focuses on Work Load Control, since this hybrid technique is recognized in the literature as the main choice for HVLV job shop systems. In order to demonstrate both its quality and practical utility, M-VSM is introduced step by step using a case study taken as an example.