Performing Lean Manufacturing System in Small and Medium Enterprises

This paper presents a conceptual framework to implement techniques for performing lean in the high-variety low volume (HVLV) environment. Lean production executed as a possible solution for many organizations. Anyhow the lean formula is appropriate directly only to the Build to stock business, but the customized product environment has to conform lean manufacturing principle. This paper has a two-phrase quantitative framework to convert small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to be lean. Phrase 1 has three interrelated parts: (1) redesigning an organization by using the power of computer Simulation integrated with business procedure. (2) Value stream mapping (VSM) is used to produce a map of both value and unused in a given procedure. This tool has also a main disadvantage for Small manufacturing ability because many value streams are made-up of hundreds of industrial parts and products. (3) Integrative supplier relationship is one of the most critical factors to sustain an advantage in the increasing levels of competition. Phrase 2 performs a just in time production scheme by using ant colony optimization technique combines with a Simulation tool. This paper addresses how to combine lean thought with Simulation optimization, the step of this framework to obtain the optimization solution.