Lean Concept in a High-Mix Production Environment

LEAN CONCEPT IN A HIGH-MIX PRODUCTION ENVIRONMENT The lean manufacturing concept is well suited in the context of the traditional low-mix / high-volume production environment. Nowadays, however, enterprises face the challenge of a high variety of products along with dynamically changing demand. Lean tools and methods known from repetitive production do not always fit today’s high-mix environment, which presents challenges in designing one-piece-flow production cells and material flow based on the pull system. There are numerous case studies proving outstanding benefits from the implementation of lean principles in low-mix / high-volume production environments. Lean tool application for high-mix production conditions require certain modifications. This article presents a case study of implementing lean concepts in an enterprise producing a high mix of products.