In this master's thesis, we investigated the possibilities of increasing the autonomy of a manual assembly line, on which several product variants are assembled. Some activities during variant changeovers are carried out by maintenance staff, which in their absence, leads to downtime. Our work includes a theoretical review of key concepts of the Toyota Production System, Single-minute exchange of die (SMED) and standardised work. We carried out an analysis of the current product assembly and changeover process. Special attention was paid to identifying wastes that occur during these procedures. The SMED method is used to optimise activities during the changeover process, that can be transferred from maintenance workers to line operators. Using methods of standardised work and balancing of operations, we determined the optimal distribution of work during changeovers between line operators. To simplify the planning and execution of changeovers, we have created a table of changeovers between variants and a matrix of changeovers. A new procedure for changeover of variants has been prescribed, with which we can significantly reduce downtime due to the absence of maintenance personnel and increase the autonomy of the assembly line.
|
