Sustainable setup stream mapping (3SM): a systematic approach to lean sustainable manufacturing

Abstract

This paper recommends a stepwise method, named sustainable-setup-stream-mapping (3SM), to improve manufacturing setup time and its sustainability impacts. The method is developed based on an extensive literature review, in-depth explorative research in discrete manufacturing, and lean manufacturing tools: value stream mapping (VSM) and Single-Minute Exchange of Die (SMED). 3SM uses VSM in a novel way to break down setup operations, and employs SMED techniques to improve them. 3SM also recommends a list of criteria, for environmental, social, and economic pillars of sustainability, to assess the setup impacts against them within the setup workstation and in its relevant processes. This research implements 3SM in a real-life case, where the outcomes prove the practicality of 3SM and its improvements in setup times and sustainability criteria. It shows what/how sustainability criteria are influenced by setup activities/tasks at setup work station and factory-wide levels, and also expands the scope of SMED to sustainability improvement.

Keywords:

• Manufacturing setup
• SMED
• value stream mapping
• sustainability
• triple bottom line

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Ahmad Ebrahimi

Ahmad Ebrahimi is an assistant professor and head of the MBA Department at the Faculty of Management and Economics in Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran. Ahmad has completed the three degrees of BSc, MSc, and PhD in Industrial Engineering at Iran University of Science and Technology. Also, he has been proactively involved in the industry for 20 years and published more than 15 papers in peer-reviewed international journals and conferences as well as implemented various case studies. His teaching, research, and consultancy interests that he is thoroughly fascinated in, are; Operations and Supply Chain Management, Quality Management and Engineering, Lean Manufacturing, Sustainability, Industry 4.0, Applied Statistics, Data Science and Business Analytics.

Rouhollah Khakpour

Rouhollah Khakpour is a BSc in Mechanical engineering and MSc in industrial management, where he is a PhD student in industrial management in Islamic Azad University Science and Research Branch. Regarding professional experience, he has worked as a mechanical supervisor in two manufacturing companies in different departments, such as Engineering, Projects, and Maintenance. Then, he has worked as a production manager in a manufacturing company and applied different lean tools and implemented sustainability concepts.

Soroosh Saghiri

Soroosh Saghiri is a senior lecturer and director of Executive MSc Logistics & Supply Chain Management at Cranfield University, Centre for Logistics, Procurement and Supply Chain Management. He has BSc and MSc in Industrial Engineering and PhD in Operations Management from the University of East Anglia. Soroosh is Chartered Fellow of CILT and Senior Fellow of HEA. He has published two book chapters and more than 40 articles in peer-reviewed journals, international conferences, and professional magazines. Soroosh has been involved in teaching, research and consultancy in the UK and internationally, in fields of procurement and supply chain management, Industry 4.0, and digital transformation for the past 21 years.