When it comes to manufacturing, the best assembly process in the world can still fall prey to such prosaic constraints as operator fatigue, inattentiveness, time pressure, and plain-old carelessness.
Lean workstations are designed for minimal wasted motion, which refers to any unnecessary time and effort required to assemble a product. Excessive twists or turns, uncomfortable reaches or pickups, and unnecessary walking all contribute to wasted motion.
Lean manufacturing concepts helped Arrow Electronics improve its assembly processes. But, progress was often short-lived. Read how this cable and wire harness assembler took lean manufacturing to the next level.