Continuous Flow Manufacturing

This work presents the fundamental principles of continuous flow manufacturing, furnishing a corporate strategy and set of operating rules that help create an environment where continuous flow manufacturing can flourish. A 10-step methodology for converting a traditional factory to a continuous flow operation is provided, and conventional manufacturing techniques are compared with the continuous flow approach.

This workbook explains in simple, step-by-step terms how to introduce and sustain lean flows of material and information in pacemaker cells and lines, a prerequisite for achieving a lean value stream.A sight we frequently encounter when touring plants is the relocation of processing steps from departments (process villages) to product-family work cells, but too often these "cells" produce only intermittent and erratic flow. Output gyrates from hour to hour and small piles of inventory accumulate between each operation so that few of the benefits of cellularization are actually being realized; and, if the cell is located upstream from the pacemaker process, none of the benefits may ever reach the customer.This sequel to Learning to See (which focused on plant level operations) provides simple step-by-step instructions for eliminating waste and creating continuous flow at the process level. This isn't a workbook you will read once then relegate to the bookshelf. It's an action guide for managers, engineers, and production associates that you will use to improve flow each and every day.Creating Continuous Flow takes you to the next level in work cell design where you'll achieve even greater cost and lead time savings. You'll learn: where to focus your continuous flow efforts, how to create much more efficient work cells and lines, how to operate a pacemaker process so that a lean value stream is possible, how to sustain the gains, and keep improving.Creating Continuous Flow is the next logical step after Learning to See. The value-stream mapping process defined the pacemaker process and the overall flow of products and information in the plant. The next step is to shift your focus from the plant to the process level by zeroing in on the pacemaker process, which sets the production rhythm for the plant or value stream, and apply the principles of continuous flow.Every production facility has at least one pacemaker process. The pacemaker processes is usually where products take their final form before going to external customers. It’s called the pacemaker because how you operate here determines both how well you can serve the customer and what the demand pattern is like for your upstream supplying processes.How the pacemaker process operates is critically important. A steady and consistently flowing pacemaker places steady and consistent demands on the rest of the value stream. The continuous flow processing that results allows companies to create leaner value streams.[Source : 4e de couv.]

Self-Balancing is not just a tweak or change to assembly line balancing, but a completely transformed method for achieving continuous flow. Among the reasons you should try Self-Balancing is that you can expect a productivity improvement of at least 30 percent with improvements of 50-60 percent quite common. Using a well-tested method for successful improvements initiated by the author, The Basics of Self-Balancing Processes: True Lean Continuous Flow is the first book to explain how to achieve continuous flow in both simple and complex manufacturing environments. It describes how to recognize and resolve weak links to ensure continuous flow in your manufacturing operations. The book offers rules, tools, and guidelines to help you not only solve problems at the root, but even eliminate them before they start. It reviews the shortcomings of traditional assembly line balancing and walks readers through the new paradigm of Self-Balancing. The text includes a comprehensive overview that demonstrates the power, flexibility, and breakthroughs possible with this method. Offering solutions to the shortcomings associated with standard line balancing including inventory buffers, variation, and operator pace it provides you with the tools and understanding required to deal with batch and off-line processes, debug your line, arrange your parts and tools, and design your own Self-Balanced cells. Watch Gordon Ghirann discuss how his book can increase the productivity of your business. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yte0622XbcI&feature=youtu.be

A comprehensive look at existing technologies and processes for continuous manufacturing of pharmaceuticals As rising costs outpace new drug development, the pharmaceutical industry has come under intense pressure to improve the efficiency of its manufacturing processes. Continuous process manufacturing provides a proven solution. Among its many benefits are: minimized waste, energy consumption, and raw material use; the accelerated introduction of new drugs; the use of smaller production facilities with lower building and capital costs; the ability to monitor drug quality on a continuous basis; and enhanced process reliability and flexibility. Continuous Manufacturing of Pharmaceuticals prepares professionals to take advantage of that exciting new approach to improving drug manufacturing efficiency. This book covers key aspects of the continuous manufacturing of pharmaceuticals. The first part provides an overview of key chemical engineering principles and the current regulatory environment. The second covers existing technologies for manufacturing both small-molecule-based products and protein/peptide products. The following section is devoted to process analytical tools for continuously operating manufacturing environments. The final two sections treat the integration of several individual parts of processing into fully operating continuous process systems and summarize state-of-art approaches for innovative new manufacturing principles. Brings together the essential know-how for anyone working in drug manufacturing, as well as chemical, food, and pharmaceutical scientists working on continuous processing Covers chemical engineering principles, regulatory aspects, primary and secondary manufacturing, process analytical technology and quality-by-design Contains contributions from researchers in leading pharmaceutical companies, the FDA, and academic institutions Offers an extremely well-informed look at the most promising future approaches to continuous manufacturing of innovative pharmaceutical products Timely, comprehensive, and authoritative, Continuous Manufacturing of Pharmaceuticals is an important professional resource for researchers in industry and academe working in the fields of pharmaceuticals development and manufacturing.

Although batching often appears more efficient than one-piece flow for individual tasks, the practice creates waste for other parts of the organization that more than offset its perceived benefits. A silent productivity killer, batching is an extremely difficult mindset to overcome and, as a result, numerous Lean initiatives have been destroyed by