To meet exact schedule targets we employ a plant flow system including:
- Functional departments to produce needed parts for downstream operations
- Supermarkets to control and level in process inventory
- Secondary assembly lines to prepare larger components for final assembly
- Feeder cells to prepare smaller parts for final assembly and to integrate purchased parts/kits
- Final assembly lines to bring all parts to completion
Within each of these areas are the tools:
- Takt time/Takt clocks
- Standardized work (jobs per station, standard work combination tables, work instructions, build books)
- All this works together to smooth the output of each upstream function to support Just in
- Time material movement