54 QUALITY INNOVATION PROSPERITY/KVALITAINOVÁCIAPROSPERITA25/2 – 2021

Lean Manufacturing Implementation through DMAIC

Approach: A Case Study in the Automotive Industry
DOI: 10.12776/QIP.V25I2.1576

Hanane Rifqi, Abdellah Zamma, Souad B. Souda, Mohamed Hansali

Received: 2021-05-20 Accepted: 2021-07-16 Published: 2021-07-31

ABSTRACT
Purpose: The main objective of this paper is to validate the results of the Lean
manufacturing application via the DMAIC concept. This study concerns a case
study carried out in an automotive company which aims at improving its flows
within the production workshop by pulling the physical flow and minimizing the
different wastes.
Methodology/Approach: By conducting a literature review to examine the
different frameworks for applying the lean method and to extract case studies
related to the DMAIC approach which is missing on the selected articles, only
one article that addresses this possibility.
Findings: DMAIC has allowed a better structuring of the entire project, choosing
the right improvement solutions with the right choice of Lean tools and several
advantages that are not valid for other frameworks. This implementation shows a
spectacular improvement in the production planning, the fluidity of the flow as
well as an important financial gain for the company.
Research Limitation/Implication: The project duration was not sufficient to
apply other beneficial lean tools as the study was limited only to a single
production line.
Originality/Value of paper: This article demonstrates the added value of the
structured DMAIC approach to lean manufacturing methodology and
implementation.
Category: Case study
Keywords: lean manufacturing; DMAIC; lean tools; automotive; case study

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1 INTRODUCTION
Lean manufacturing, Lean production, Lean institute, Lean office and other
names always refer to the Lean concept which aims to eliminate activities and
actions with no added value. The Lean concept is originated from Toyota
production system TPS, invented to eliminate all types of waste in the production
process of the Toyota company (Shingō and Dillon, 1989; Pech and Vaněček,
2018).
The word Lean appears for the first time in the famous book “the machine that
changed the world” of Womack, Jones and Roos (1991), which defines it as:
“Lean gives you the ability to produce more by using less – less human effort,
equipment, time and space, while at the same time getting closer to the objective,
which is to meet the exact need of the costumer” (Womack, Jones and Roos,
1991).
This paper has studied the good practices used by Toyota to overcome their
crisis. Today, Lean manufacturing is applied in all countries and sectors either
alone or by integrating it with other approaches such as six sigma, the agile
model or the industry 4.0 (Marodin et al., 2019).
By applying lean manufacturing principles, many manufacturing industries
around the world have reduced the cost of their products during the
manufacturing phase and increased their profits (Vamsi Krishna Jasti and
Sharma, 2014). This effect is witnessed by the literature where hundreds of
successful case studies have been uncovered in all industries and especially in
growing companies.
This document presents a relevant Lean Manufacturing application, implemented
by following the systematic steps of the DMAIC approach to reduce the various
waste forms that involve a high inventory of work-in-process for the company
with a very complex workflow. In order to successfully implement the Lean
concept, the team used a plethora of Lean tools Kaizen, Kanban, value stream
mapping, 5S, Kaizen Team, Heijunka, Standardized Work, Takt time and Visual
Control as well as many diagnostic tools such as Ishikawa, QQOQCCP, 5 whys,
5M and Pareto diagram where these tools were carefully chosen.
For the paper’s organization, we will start with a literature review concerning
Lean Manufacturing and its applicability as well as the DMAIC cycle. The
second part will be focusing on the host company and its activities as well as the
reasons for choosing and implementing Lean Manufacturing as a tool. All the
DMAIC phases will be presented in the third part. The fourth part will include
the gain generated and the Lean application’s efficiency in this company. A
conclusion and some perspectives will be discussed in the last part.

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2 LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Lean Concept

The Lean philosophy is the art of reduction and elimination of all non-value
added activities, those activities that are known by Mudas in lean’s jargon. The
implementation of Lean production allows production with less human effort in
the factory, less financial resources, less space and less equipment to
manufacture the same product (Salonitis and Tsinopoulos, 2016). Toyota, the
creator of Lean, depicted its philosophy as a temple to define the bases of Lean
project construction and the pillars that reinforce its rigidity (see Figure 1). Each
part of the temple enables to define the methodology’s objectives with the
elements on which it is necessary to act and the tools to be deployed.

Figure 1 – Toyota Production System TPS (Rüttimann in Stöckli, 2016)

In order to successfully implement Lean, companies must follow the principles

of Lean implementation, five generic principles are described in several books
and articles (Jerry, 2003; Liker, 2004; Andersson, Eriksson and Torstensson,
2006; Su, Chiang and Chang, 2006; Rifqi, Ben Souda and Zamma, 2020, p.4)
(see Table 1).

2.2 Lean Manufacturing Implementation

The Lean concept was first implemented in the automotive sector, its effective
and successful application made a group of companies adopt it and take
advantage of its benefits concerning waste reduction and flow optimization.
The applicability of lean thinking has been proven in the literature by hundreds
of successful case studies, such as in banking sector (Hidayati, Tarigan and
Tarigan, 2019), construction (Li, Fang and Wu, 2020), pharmaceuticals

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(Sieckmann et al., 2018), electronics (Nguyen and Do, 2016), services (Piercy
and Rich, 2009), metallurgy (Ching, Hoe, Hong, Ghobakhloo, in Pin, 2015),
shipbuilding (Sharma and Gandhi, 2017), health (Régis, Santos and Gohr, 2019),
as well as its implementation in universities (Balzer et al., 2016) where all these
sectors have demonstrated the applicability and adaptability of the Lean concept.

Table 1 – Lean Manufacturing Principles

Principle No. 1 Value Stream Identify the value from the customer perspective

Principle No. 2 value stream mapping Identify value-added and non-value-added activities.

Principle No. 3 Continuous Flow Create a continuous flow without waste

Principle No. 4 Pull system Produce only what is needed and when it is needed.

Principle No. 5 Perfection / continuous Striving for perfection

improvement

Its implementation has also been linked and integrated with other concepts,
services or paradigms. The Lean Sigma (Mostafa, Chileshe and Abdelhamid,
2016) is an example of an integrated concept where Lean focuses on efficiency
and speed, it ensures that resources are well used and create value and on the
other side the concept Six Sigma which seeks accuracy and precision by doing
things right the first time. Also Lean logistics (Wronka, 2017) where Lean is
applied in logistics service, it supports internal and external logistical processes
to ensure a continuous flow of production materials and deliveries on time, in the
right place, at the right quality and at the right cost. Several more concepts are
created with the aim of strengthening Lean or to improve other concepts and
approaches through the Lean benefits
Generally, to implement Lean, companies apply the five principles of Lean.
Table 2 contains a set of Lean applications where the steps followed by its
authors have been described separately for each one. Generally, they follow these
5 lean principles or they try to adapt them to their situations, requirements and
needs.
The literature also includes several models and frameworks that can be adopted
in order to implement Lean thinking, Manotas Duque and Riviera Cadavid
(Diego Fernando and Rivera Cadavid, 2007) as examples have proposed these
steps:
• Change planning (defining the need for change, senior management
commitment and support, identifying target areas, model lines and
outreach strategy)
• Implementation (eliminating waste, continuous improvement, continuous
and pull systems, multi-functional teams, information systems)
• Measurement of progress
• Measures objective (monitoring the Lean implementation progress,
continuous monitoring, benchmarking)

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Table 2 – Lean Implementation in the Literature

Types of industries Authors Steps followed for the Lean implementation

CNC Verma and Sharma • Mapping the current state and its analysis
Manufacturing (2017) • Creating the Future State Map
• Data analysis for each process and analysis of the future
flow map
• Identifying bottlenecks
Furniture industry Guner Goren (2017) • Mapping the current cartography
• Mapping the future mapping based on the detected Mudas
• Use continuous flow where possible
• Use supermarkets where continuous flow is impossible
• Build a FIFO line where there are varieties of products
Auto parts Dhiravidamani et al. The authors implemented the techniques of Kobetsu-Kaizen
manufacturing (2018) and the VSM. They were based on kaizen events according
to these steps:
• Team training
• Ensures management commitment and support
• Consider environmental measures as well as Lean
measures
• Identify environmental waste in Lean training
• Visualize environmental wastes and eliminate them
• Pursue and maintain efforts
Gearbox Saravanan, The implementation is carried out by following a set of
Manufacturing Nallusamy and steps in a flowchart prepared by the authors which includes
George (2018) these steps:
• Existing study and problem identification
• Process study and observation
• Data collection, VSM and VA, NVA, and NNVA
identification
• Future state VSM
• Work standardization
• Results
Cable Chanarungruengkij Based on the steps introduced in the “Lean way” book for
manufacturing in Kaitwanidvilai process improvement, which are:
(2018) • Visit the production site to check the current state of the
production line, identify and implement the process for
each stage, identify production wastage and map value
flows
• Improve the process by reducing waste
• Establish the future value stream mapping
• Summarize the results
Automotive plant Pérez-Pucheta et al. • Problem Statement
(2019) • Evolution of the current state
• Waste identification
• Development of future mapping
• Report on Proposal A3

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Types of industries Authors Steps followed for the Lean implementation

Water heater Ur Rehman et al. The steps of the adopted approach are as follows:
manufacturing (2020) • Start
• Data collection (time study, performance history, demand
and production, shutdown history)
• Current state analysis (bottleneck study, flow and
distance map, availability and utilization, productivity
measurement, value stream map)
• Suggested improvements to remove detected problems
• Future state analysis (productivity analysis, value stream
map)
• Analysis of States (current and future)
• End
Agricultural Ramakrishnan et al. The implementation of Lean practices was carried out in
equipment (2019) nine units using the following steps:
manufacturing • Diagnose the current level of these units - capture current
conditions and levels of Lean adherence using Lean
assessment tools
• Set objectives/steps include unit-specific projects and
joint projects to be undertaken
• Detailed list of projects and milestone-based objectives
for all units for activities in each phase
• General action plan for subsequent phases
• Formulation of a review mechanism to monitor progress
and targeted milestones

As the above table shows, the authors try to find the best practices to implement
Lean Manufacturing somehow, But the aim of maximizing value and reducing
waste is still unchanged.

2.3 DMAIC Concept

DMAIC is inspired by Deming practices and the Plan, Do, Check, and Act
(PDCA) Cycle (Gupta, 2013), a systematic approach used to guide the
scheduling and execution of Six Sigma projects. It is considered one of the
essential and distinctive approaches for leading Six Sigma projects in process
improvement and quality (Jirasukprasert et al., 2014). DMAIC is the acronym for
the 5 steps that are Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and Control (see Figure
2).
However, DMAIC can be operated without making reference to the six sigma
approach. Reference (Dossou and Dedeban, 2017) the DMAIC cycle was
exploited to improve the supply chain and in another reference (Popov et al.,
2018) to analyze the root causes of circuit breaker failure in a distribution system.
The literature also reveals the integration of DMAIC with other approaches, such
as with the VIKOR method (Zhou et al., 2018) or with the VSM tool (Guo et al.,
2019). Furthermore, we can also find when DMAIC combines several
approaches and methodologies, such as the DMAIC + approach (Sahay, Ghosh

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and Bheemarthi, 2011) which combine Lean manufacturing, six sigma and
constraint theory.

Define

• Initiate the project, define the process, define key process output and what
are the deliverables will be expected as a result of the project

Measure

• Understand the process (as is), evaluate process inputs, develop and
evaluate measurement systems, measure current performance

Analyse

• Analyze data to prioritize key inputs variables, and identify waste

Improve

• Verify critical input variables, design improvements, pilot new process

Control

• Finalize the control syste, verify long term capability

Figure 2 – The 5 Steps Of The DMAIC Cycle (Improta et al., 2017)

In this context where Lean can also be implemented through the deployment of
the DMAIC approach, reference (Ferreira et al., 2019) where the authors
presented a framework called “iLeanDMAIC” based on Lean tools and following
the steps of the DMAIC approach, this iLeanDMAIC framework was validated
by a case study in industry.
Our case study will also provide evidence of the successful implementation of
Lean via DMAIC, especially since this approach ensures rigorous problem
resolution and effectively manages process improvement actions.

3 COMPANY BACKGROUND – REASONS FOR

IMPLEMENTING LEAN MANUFACTURING
In a context of hard competitiveness and quasi-permanent innovation, the host
group has succeeded to become a leader in manufacturing metal components for
the automotive industry in Europe. This group has 26 factories in eight countries
(France, Spain, Czech Republic, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Turkey, Morocco

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and China). The Moroccan site on which this case study was conducted is
employing a staff of 431 people and deals with large companies such as Renault,
Toyota, Audi, Valeo, Nissan, Seat, Volvo, Faurecia, Infinity, Volkswagen and
others. This site supplies these companies with products made through several
processes of cutting and stamping of metal parts, assembly parts, and profiling to
manufacture structural parts, substructures, openings, and mechanical parts
(engine components).
The Lean was implemented with the aim of improving the physical flow between
a site press and the assembly stations (Figure 3). The project team realized that
Lean Manufacturing is the best solution for identifying non-value-added
activities and improving flows, as long as the company seeks to eliminate the
different waste forms within the workshop. In order to succeed in this project our
multi-skilled team was accompanied by consultants from Kaizen Institute who
participated in the different stages of the application and solutions validation.

4 LEAN IMPLEMENTATION FRAMEWORK: CASE STUDY

In this case study, the DMAIC problem solving methodology was chosen to
implement Lean Manufacturing, where its tools will be deployed in each DMAIC
approach phase. This choice is supported by the project team due to the
structured steps that DMAIC provides, which will facilitate the waste source
extraction in the shop floor which is the main objective of the project.

Figure 3 – Factory Plan

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The materials that flow in the plant are a cellular flow. That means that each
press produces according to its proper production program developed following
MRP planning, which is independent of the other machines. The items or
references produced are either shipped directly or placed in semi-finished SF
inventory for a long time period, which can vary from 6 to 26 days or more,
before proceeding to other operations

4.1 Define Phase

The definition phase consists of defining the Lean project objectives and
selecting high-impact improvement opportunities. But before visiting the site and
defining the processes and their elements, project team need to validate the
following:
• The commitment of top management
• The impact assessment of the implementation
• The training of all team members
• The definition of the team/project charter
During the team formation, the resource availability constraint imposed the
creation of the RACI matrix to assign responsibilities to the different work team
members. Furthermore, in order to successfully implement Lean in this
production site, some objectives were set as follows:
• Fluidity and computerize the physical flow
• Reconfigure production lines for linear flow via Kanban-pulled flow
instead of cellular and MRP-pulled flow
• Eliminate non-value added activities
• Deploying Lean and Mizusumashi tools for flow improvement
• Eliminate the root causes of waste generation
• Transformation of the SF stock from flat stock to shelf stock (less stock
space)

4.2 Measure Phase

In our case, the majority of the products that encountered more waste are the
semi-finished products performed on the 315T press, these SF products are either
to be reconditioned in the workstations, or sent to a re-conditioning area to be
delivered to the workstations.
In order to better visualize the current situation and determine the problems and
waste sources, we developed a physical flow mapping of a model reference (see
Figure 4), where the different qualitative and quantitative characteristics of the
physical flow collected from the site were introduced.

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The reference choice was carried out through a meeting with the Lean team
which selected the reference 106,234PC (Secondary Flask D Traverse X52),
regarding the problems it presents to the production operators and the complexity
of its flow. The same goes for the 315T press, limited to operations with very low
added value and a significant WIP level, and other problems that will be dealt
with in the remaining DMAIC phases.

Figure 4 – Current Situation Mapping

The realization of a flowchart which describes the process under a time notation
and the process steps in a simple way while classifying them by categories
(operation, control, transport, delay, storage) showed that the majority of the time
is a storage time resulting in an increased lead time of 7.29 days. This lead time
led the team to calculate the speed of the 315T press in order to compare it with
the takt time for each article where the result showed a huge gap between the two
(see Figure 5). For example, for part number 82275 EQUERPC, the customer
requests one part every 656s, and the factory supplies one part every 14.81s. The
customer request is respected but the storage time and the quantity stored is very
important, which generates additional costs for the company as it adopts the
MRP push-flow production management.

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Figure 5 – Comparison of Rate and Customer Takt Time

To better visualize all the movements and displacements within the workshop,
the realization of a spaghetti diagram appeared an essential step to avoid this type
of waste. Figure 6 presents the spaghetti diagram of the workshop showing the
physical flow that links the 315T press, the inventory and the assembly stations.

Figure 6 – Spaghetti Diagrams

This diagram will contribute to the efficiency improvement and the reduction of
employee fatigue due to unnecessary movements as well as the minimization of
energy consumption for forklift operators travelling longer distances.

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4.3 Analyze Phase

The main objective of this phase is to analyze the results found in the previous
phase in order to treat and highlight the root causes which will allow the optimal
solutions to be generated. For the 315T press, it encounters several types of
wastage where Table 3 shows the most dominant wastes.

Table 3 – 315T Press Waste

Waste type Description

Movement Muda The spaghetti diagram shows the complexity of the flow between the 315T press, the
stock and the assembly stations. The diversity of SF parts forces the forklift drivers
to circulate too much to supply each station with the necessary quantity. However,
these movements follow no standard, which generates unnecessary movements that
can lead to production stoppages and require a significant loading time for the
drivers.
Over-processing According to Figure 4, there are some operations that take a considerable time and
muda do not bring any added value for the customer.
As an example, the reconditioning of SF parts in large plastic or metal bins, for
which a non-value added time of 41.18 hours has been calculated which must be
minimized (This time is the sum of the reconditioning times per month for all
references) Adding that the reconditioning conditions do not respect the rules of
ergonomics at work.
Storage Muda SF parts remain in stock for 5 days on average, for this reason the delivery time
takes more than 7 days. Although the tools in the workshop have been organized
according to the duration and the occupied storage area, it is necessary to minimize
the size of these tools and taking into account the safety factor during use.
Another study of calculation of occupied surface showed that the storage surface
dedicated by the 19 references is 28.43 m², which is equivalent to 32 locations that
must be minimized.
Other Muda The 315T press meets many problems with forklift trucks in terms of efficiency, loss
of time and cost for maintenance operations and production stoppages. In addition,
as the company wants to re-experience the Mizusumashi train and try to create a
PULL system to achieve the Just in Time.

4.4 Improve Phase

Figure 7 shows the new workshop configuration containing the Lean
Manufacturing guidelines. The modifications illustrated in this improved model
are:
• The implementation of the Kanban method for a pull flow
• The creation of a supermarket at the 315T press output for semi-finished
parts (SF)
• The reduction of batch size transfer through the implementation of
sustainable packaging
• The implementation of the Mizusumashi solution

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• The use of the A3 to provide a global and complete vision of the problem
and the solutions implemented step by step, including the final results
obtained as well as the resources required to achieve these results

Figure 7 – The New Configuration of the 315T Press

Supermarket implantation: Before implanting the supermarket, the team carried

out several calculations and examined the existing constraints, for example
calculating the maximum launch sizes of each reference by considering the
following parameters:
• Annual customer requirement (Sales and Operations Planning SOP) for
each project
• Reference assignment within the projects
• Nomenclature coefficient
• Tool categories
It was necessary to calculate the maximum space that can be exploited with an
adequate design. Figure 8 shows the market design in 3D on CatiaV5, it is a
dynamic supermarket with two levels, one for full bins in front of the picking
zone which is the loading area via the Mizusumashi, and another level for empty
bins in the opposite direction of the 315T press.

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Figure 8 –The 3D Supermarket by CATIA V5

Production leveling – Heijunka: In this case, the team decided to apply the load
levelling for the following reasons:
• Insufficient space to install the supermarket on the edge of the 315T press
line, due to the batch size, which may require a storage time exceeding
three weeks
• Takt time of the company is smaller than that of the customer
• Heijunka is one of the pillars of the Lean Temple
For this reason, it was necessary to validate the internal constraints such as the
tool maintenance constraint, the average maintenance constraint, the serial
method constraint and finally the logistic constraint. This validation allows
suggesting a scenario that acts on all the tool classes in order to reduce the launch
sizes. Table 4 shows a comparison between the old and new production schedule
following the levelling of the production. This new program will maintain a high
efficiency of the pull system.
The available capacity of the supermarket is only 720 bins, due to the Heijunka,
the need for Odette boxes has decreased from 1,952 to 696 bins, which is very
opportune.

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Table 4 – Old Vs. New Production Planning

Items Net requirement / Planning without Production Leveling (Heijunka)
reference production launch
Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6 Total

104583 18159

106237 37122

105393 19980

Planning with Production Leveling (Heijunka)

Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6 Total

104583 4540 18159

106237 99281 37122

105393 9990 19980

Mizusumashi train (water spider): The Mizusumashi train has already been
adopted in another site of the group, which has shown its effectiveness and still
encouraged to implement it in this project, among the advantages it will lead, we
can find:
• An improved flow by eliminating stoppages due to lack of production
parts
• Avoiding the creation of work-in-process inventory
• Elimination of non-value added activities
• Delivery of lines with a 100% service rate (0 production stoppages due to
missing parts)
• Reduction of waste due to unnecessary movement and transportation
Before starting to use the train, a set of standards have been established to
improve performance and take into consideration internal safety rules, battery
change rate and circuit control. These elements were addressed in work
instructions in addition to audits in order to validate the solution. Figure 9 shows
the new spaghetti diagram with the optimized train route and the supermarket
positioning.

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Figure 9 – The Mizusumashi Train Route

Kanban: The first improvement actions facilitated the Kanban implementation,

before its implementation the team worked on the Kanban card design and the
card needs for all the references. For the operating principle in the workshop,
when the operator starts consuming the bins, he takes the Kanban cards from the
bins and places them on the support of the SPS table, the driver of the
Mizusumashi train collects the cards and empty bins and then returns to the
supermarket to put the empty bins in their place. As a second action he takes the
bins filled with the references of each Kanban card to deliver them to the stations
during the next cycle (see Figure 10).

Figure 10 – The New Workshop Configuration for the 315T Press

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Visual Management: several actions have been carried out within the visual
management context in order to improve flow control and minimize waste related
to movements and transportation. The team also proposed the realization of A3
thinking for a better project presentation for other departments and maintaining
actions to avoid the occurrence of other types of waste (see Figure 11).

Figure 11 – A3 Thinking

4.5 Control Phase

In order to control and monitor the different implementation stages of the project,
the relevance of the solutions and to ensure the expected results, several audits
and actions have been planned and carried out:
• An audit of all the actions performed;
• A Kanban start-up audit: This audit is performed as a flash audit where a
set of anomalies are provided after an in-depth brainstorming. These
anomalies include: lack of Kanban ticket, Component rupture, incorrect
location of Bac Odette, etc. This flash audit will evaluate the conformity
of the different requirements fixed to achieve a pulled and continuous
flow, at the same time through this audit the company can detect other
improvement opportunities;
• A verification and control of the new press load has been achieved to be
sure that the load is adapted to the new modifications (the calculated rate
is 92%, which implies that there is no problem during production);

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• An audit on the respect of the Mizusumashi train rules: a set of

instructions, rules and penalties have been prescribed to maintain the
proper functioning of the train and to guarantee the safety of the operators,
especially since this train circulates permanently in the workshop to
supply the necessary components to the stations and to recuperate the
finished or semi-finished parts. Among the rules that have been
established in the instructions and audit sheet we find: the respect of the
circuit traced for the train, the respect of the highest speed which must not
exceed (15km) by the train, the decrease of the speed to the minimal
(5km/h) in the intersections and the corridors accesses, the stationing of
Mizusumashi at the detected place, etc.

5 EFFECTIVENESS OF THE LEAN MANUFACTURING

APPLICATION
The team has evaluated the financial benefits for each solution and for the
industrial break-even point it corresponds to the investment recovery period:
Break-even point = investment / savings per unit of time.
In this case, since the project was completed, the company obtained an
immediate gain of 39,5013 DH (gain on packaging and storage cost), which
covered the investment of 22,2009.2 DH (Supermarket and Bac Odette) (see
Table 5), adding a gain of 17,3003.8 DH and a monthly sum of 2,7937.36 DH
related to the handling equipment rented at 2860/month, gain of the
reconditioning time of 2,560 DH/month (gain of 41.18 hours) and gain on the
rental price of the storage areas of 2,2516.56 DH (rental price of the square meter
in the free zone is 792 dh/month) where Table 6.

Table 5 – Total Cost of Solutions

Solution Cost

Bac Odette 53,209.2 DH

Supermarket purchase 168,800 DH

Total 222,009.2 DH

Table 6 – Cost Savings for Each Solution

Solution Saving

Storage Surface (a monthly gain) 22,516.56DH

Packaging 141,491DH

Handling equipment (a monthly gain) 2,860DH

Packaging 141,491DH

Storage Cost 200,313DH

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6 CONCLUSION
This paper provides a specific and practical application of Lean Manufacturing
following the DMAIC approach, this concept that is generally linked to six sigma
applications. Despite the different application frameworks of Lean, the proposal
to implement a lean project following the DMAIC model offered some
advantages that were not available in comparison with others, such as the
structuring of the application steps and especially at the analytical phase, which
allowed the correct analysis of the problems and the best choice of tools to apply.
In each phase of the DMAIC cycle a large number of Lean tools were used like
kaizen, Gemba walking, Heijunka, Kanban, Mizusumashi, Visual Management
and spaghetti diagram which allowed:
• A reduction in turnaround time with 21%
• A reduction of 90% in WIPs
• A gain of 28.43 m² of storage space
• A reduction in forklift load by 13%
• An Increase in the installations’ safety level by eliminating stock pillars
and reducing forklift traffic
• The Kanban, Heijunka and the Mizusumashi train have streamlined the
flow in the workshop, contributed to the inventory reduction and the
human and industrial capacity optimization
These solutions have generated a gain of 39,5013 DH (gain in packaging and
storage cost), which largely covers the investment of 22,2009.2 DH
(Supermarket and Bac Odette), as well as benefiting from a monthly gain of
27,937.36 DH/month.
After this implementation of Lean Manufacturing, the company planned to
computerize the Kanban information, this solution will allow better real-time
production visualization and this change will allow the main customer
RENAULT to follow the production of its articles in real time as well as its
orders.
To conclude, the most recognized framework in the literature for the Lean
implementation is following the 5 principles especially that this framework
focuses on the value in each step, but the particularity and the advantage of the
DMAIC concept is the project structuring which allowed all team members to
observe and follow the implementation progress.
For the research perspectives, a quantitative study is envisaged to unveil the Lean
implementation mode in the Moroccan industry and specifically the automotive
industry as well as the barriers and obstacles to the success of the lean project. In
addition, a quantitative study will be conducted to verify the link between the

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 QUALITY INNOVATION PROSPERITY/KVALITAINOVÁCIAPROSPERITA25/2 – 2021 73

implementation of Lean and the social and environmental dimensions in the

Moroccan industry.

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ABOUT AUTHORS
Hanane Rifqi0000-0001-8792-8343 (H.R.) – Laboratory of Signals, Distributed Systems
and Artificial Intelligence SSDIA of the Higher Normal School of Technical
Education ENSET, Hassan II University Casablanca, Morocco, Ph.D. Candidate
in the field of industrial engineering, e-mail: [email protected].
Abdellah Zamma0000-0002-0390-4158 (A.Z.) – Laboratory of Signals, Distributed
Systems and Artificial Intelligence SSDIA of the Higher Normal School of
Technical Education ENSET, Hassan II University Casablanca, Morocco, Prof.,
e-mail: [email protected].
Souad Ben Souda0000-0002-4378-3602 (S.B.S.) – Laboratory of Signals, Distributed
Systems and Artificial Intelligence SSDIA of the Higher Normal School of
Technical Education ENSET, Hassan II University Casablanca, Morocco, Prof.,
e-mail: [email protected].
Mohamed Hansali0000-0001-9726-4018 (M.H.) – Department of economics and
management, Hassan II University Casablanca, Morocco, Ph.D., e-mail:
[email protected].

AUTHOR CONTRIBUTIONS
Conceptualization, H.R.; Methodology, H.R.; Validation, S.B.S. and A.Z.;
Formal analysis, M.H.; Original draft preparation, H.R.; Review and editing,
H.R.; Visualization, M.H., S.B.S., and A.Z.; Supervision, A.Z.

CONFLICTS OF INTEREST
The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design
of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of
the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results.

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