Value Stream Mapping and Simulation in a Construction Company

Lean manufacturing tools have been applied in a construction company in Malaysia. This project aims to identify the problems of the operations by using Value Stream Mapping and develop alternatives for improvement. Based on the current state value stream map, the Value Added (VA) ratio of the production is 0.43. The analysis shows that the most critical problem is the high queue time between QC inspection and primer coat painting due to unbalanced processes. Basic Kanban, CONWIP and Hybrid Kanban/CONWIP have been suggested and evaluated using the Witness simulation software. The simulation results indicate that Hybrid Kanban/CONWIP is the most suitable alternative. Based on the future state value stream map, the VA ratio has gained 11.63% to 0.48, indicating that Hybrid Kanban/CONWIP could effectively reduce the high queue time between QC inspection and primer coat painting.