Rather than diving into an operations analysis on Lockheed Martin’s F-35 production line blindly, our team will perform background research on modern industrial engineering aspects that affect the line. By doing so, our team will gain some insight as to what influences this production system and what subject areas to focus on. This will give us a different perspective on the space demands of the F-35 at full rate production. In this portion of the report, two separate articles will be discussed to provide further insight into the potential problem.
The first article that will be discussed is “Storage Space Utilization”, by Don Benson. Since 1978, Don has been a consultant in the material handling industry and has since earned the title, …show more content…
The introduction and implementation of a Just-In-Time (JIT) approach to this production line would be ideal to reduce lead time, minimize inventory on floor and optimize storage area. In particular, adopting a Kanban (card) system would establish lean manufacturing principles that would help streamline the entire process. There is a current card system that is used throughout the production line to monitor the work and parts applied to the aircraft. However, it is difficult in this production system to achieve true JIT goals due to the dynamics of the supply chain. Because of the large complexity of parts needed to construct the F-35, outside vendors are necessary in order to alleviate the weight of having to produce parts in-house. As a result, it is inevitable to have a delay in parts being delivered to the …show more content…
Safety stocks can act as a buffer for companies to fall back on to offset inaccurate demand forecasts. In other words, safety stocks could be implemented in areas throughout the line where the demand and consumption of parts is higher and less consistent. This article is relevant to our project because the manufacture of F-35 aircraft can be considered a JIT system. In contrast to car manufacturers who make bulk orders of cars to sit out in a lot, F-35 are made to order. This means that Lockheed has to quickly get all parts ready to be assembled at a moment's notice. Since the manufacturing process is so volatile, parts racks travel along with the aircraft as they move throughout the facility. Safety stock, while not a very lean concept, could really be a difference maker when a fully complete plane needs to be kicked out in 21
The first article that will be discussed is “Storage Space Utilization”, by Don Benson. Since 1978, Don has been a consultant in the material handling industry and has since earned the title, …show more content…
The introduction and implementation of a Just-In-Time (JIT) approach to this production line would be ideal to reduce lead time, minimize inventory on floor and optimize storage area. In particular, adopting a Kanban (card) system would establish lean manufacturing principles that would help streamline the entire process. There is a current card system that is used throughout the production line to monitor the work and parts applied to the aircraft. However, it is difficult in this production system to achieve true JIT goals due to the dynamics of the supply chain. Because of the large complexity of parts needed to construct the F-35, outside vendors are necessary in order to alleviate the weight of having to produce parts in-house. As a result, it is inevitable to have a delay in parts being delivered to the …show more content…
Safety stocks can act as a buffer for companies to fall back on to offset inaccurate demand forecasts. In other words, safety stocks could be implemented in areas throughout the line where the demand and consumption of parts is higher and less consistent. This article is relevant to our project because the manufacture of F-35 aircraft can be considered a JIT system. In contrast to car manufacturers who make bulk orders of cars to sit out in a lot, F-35 are made to order. This means that Lockheed has to quickly get all parts ready to be assembled at a moment's notice. Since the manufacturing process is so volatile, parts racks travel along with the aircraft as they move throughout the facility. Safety stock, while not a very lean concept, could really be a difference maker when a fully complete plane needs to be kicked out in 21