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Assembly & Integrated Workcells

The Ultimate In Workflow 

But there is another method for providing smooth demand: Final Assembly Cells. In this approach, the assembly line is broken down into multiple, smaller workcells. Each workcell produces a single model or, perhaps, several models with a high degree of part commonality.

Toyota probably used Mixed Model Assembly lines because their large Detroit-style lines were already in place. It may have seemed like a natural and easy solution to the problem of upstream demand smoothing.

Final Asembly Workcells
Integrated Assembly/Fab Cells

A further evolution of mixed model assembly cells is to incorporate some (or all) upstream fabrication into the cells. The figure below shows how the fabrication equipment for each model joins with respective assembly operations in a cell or sub-cell. It provides even closer coordination and  corresponding improvements in quality and inventory.

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Value Stream & Process Mapping

The Strategos Guide To Value Stream and Process Mapping goes  beyond symbols and arrows. In over 163 pages it tells the reader how to do it and what to do with it.

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