Sustainable value stream mapping and technologies of Industry 4.0 in manufacturing process reconfiguration: A case study in an apparel company

Abstract

To optimize resource use in production, Lean manufacturing is the most widely implemented method in the world. One of the most useful tools in Lean production is Value Stream Mapping (VSM). With focus on visualizing key data of a production process in a single picture, VSM attempts to reveal bottleneck steps in a process. As a consequence, industrial engineers can determine which stages of the process should be put emphasis on improving. However, VSM sole consideration is economics and other aspects of sustainability such as societal and environmental are neglected. With Sustainable Value Stream Mapping (SVSM), all necessary illustrations for a sustainable manufacturing process can be visualized, which leads to higher chances to identify potential problems in the efficiency of production processes beyond the ones identified using lean manufacturing. This research provides a case study where SVSM is applied in an apparel company in order to identify potential issues in the sustainability of their production process. Furthermore, this paper highlights several potential solutions such as Radio-frequency identification (RFID), big data and ergonomics improvement by discussing the impact of their implementation on the process sustainability. Finally, the conclusion section discusses limits in the solutions implementation and suggest future research.