Case Study: Value Stream Analysis and Design for More Efficiency and Flexibility in Series Assembly

An industrial company in the field of series assembly faced the challenge of integrating new product variants into existing production processes. The previous processes revealed structural weaknesses: high inventories along the supply chain, long lead times, and significant space requirements due to decentralized storage and inefficient container logistics. The share of value-adding activities was low. To make production structures future-proof and increase flexibility, a comprehensive value stream design was necessary.

Miebach analyzed the current state and evaluated the information and material flows. Based on this, a target process was developed according to the principles of synchronized, lean production.

Fig. 1: Analysis and identification of weaknesses in the current process

The new value stream design aimed to streamline processes, reduce logistical complexity, and improve responsiveness to customer demand.

Key elements of the implemented solution were:

• Introduction of a pull-controlled material flow
• Reduction of intermediate buffers and excess inventories
• Integration of pre-assembled components directly into final assembly
• Late product differentiation to increase product flexibility
• Visualization of the new process chain for internal alignment

The implementation of the new value stream delivered significant improvements:

Relocating final assembly to the main plant also enabled more flexible production control while reducing logistical dependencies. The company now benefits from a robust, scalable supply structure with clear responsibilities and high process stability.