The purpose of value stream mapping (VSM) has always been to offer a high-level, metrics-based view of a value creation process. It enables analysis from a lean perspective, facilitates redesigns to enhance flow and aids in selecting, prioritizing and sequencing improvements.

How Can Lean and VSM Meet Leaders’ Production Goals?

Leaders seek world-class processes to meet business goals and cultivate a built-in improvement culture that identifies and resolves problems through visible and systematic corrective actions.

“Lean methodology is instrumental in this effort, offering a well-regarded approach to continuous process improvement. VSM is integral to this by providing a metrics-based, bird’s-eye view of the entire production process. It identifies areas of waste that can be eliminated for business benefit and enables the redesign of processes using lean principles to achieve a desired future state,” explains Dilesh Patel, co-founder and CEO.

When is VSM hard to use?

When producing a variety of product versions (during mixed model production), manually calculating critical metrics is tedious and difficult, making it difficult for VSM to fulfill its role in a lean deployment. Decisions that were intended to be made on a metrics basis fall back to relying on intuition.

Managing different demands, routings and operational values can make mapping mixed model production challenging. If attempted manually or in a simple flowcharting tool, it’s tedious, time-consuming and prone to error.

How does eVSM Mix software help?

The eVSM Group emerges as the right choice to automate and simplify VSM, with its eVSM Mix software that helps lean practitioners create digital value stream maps.

The software streamlines VSM processes, facilitating a better understanding of critical factors like takt time, capacity and resource allocation. Through this, the company empowers businesses to select, prioritize and sequence improvements systematically, driving toward a more efficient value stream.

The software provides separate vertical applications with lean analytics for production, supply network and transactional value stream maps, and extends its applicability from high-volume/low-mix to low-volume/high-mix lines. The software also provides explicit support for mixed model production with varying demands, built-in automation for quicker analysis, living maps for ongoing assessments, and support for Excel and XML data exchange to ease map creation, updates and external usage in tools like PowerBI.

eVSM, with its digital approach and mixed model engine, extends the applicability of VSM from low mix/high volume to also encompass high mix/low volume environments. This helps extend the applicability of Lean to these environments

Comprehensive e-learning enables anytime, anywhere deployment. By simplifying mapping and analytics for mixed-model production lines and networks, eVSM Mix supports the entire improvement cycle, from current state mapping to improvements prioritization and implementation.

How is eVSM supporting sustainability in manufacturing?

To address the pressing issue of climate change, eVSM has also integrated sustainability considerations into its VSM engine. By providing the option to include variables such as carbon footprint, energy usage, and water usage on the map, the implications for cost, lead time, capacity, inventory and environmental sustainability can be seen on a single map to facilitate a holistic view and prioritize the right improvements.

What’s next for the eVSM Community?

The eVSM community is always evolving, responding to requests from its extensive customer base. Beyond its software and eLearning offerings, eVSM’s leadership team has also authored several books and will soon release a ‘Leadership Guide to Digital VSM.