Mapeamento do fluxo de valor na fase de desenvolvimento de chicote elétrico automotivo: um estudo de caso

Abstract

The automotive industry is a complex and well developed sector. Therefore, controlling events and effects in all levels becomes a hard task to perform. Generally, the automobile companies follow reference models in their product development in order to support and keep control, internally as well in their suppliers. In the automotive chain, one of the constituents that faces the most effects related to external factors is the wire harnesses. Controlling external factors, maximizing opportunities and minimizing the risks becomes a challenge. For these reasons, the product development process (PDP) can present many possibilities of improvement. The lean thinking applied to PDP presents itself as a powerful element in the search for reducing waste. In this scenario, this work aim to apply the value stream mapping (VSM) – lean thinking tool – in the phase of product development (DP) in order to find opportunities to the company during the development of the automotive wire harness, through a case study. For this purpose, a literature review was performed contextualizing many authors and concepts of PDP and lean philosophy. Regarding this case study, it was first defined the participant group of the research, integrated by designers, engineers and supervisors involved in the phase of DP of the company to define together the current MFV. Through this dynamic becomes possible to identify and sequence the main macro processes of the phase of DP and understand the current situation, finding the process that add value and the process that can be optimized and the wasteful ones. Based on the current VSM, in the next step the group prepared actions and analysis in order to draft the future VSM presenting the new structure and the results archived. Lastly, it was noticed a great contribution of the application of the tool in the phase of DP studied, because its visual concept makes that people involved visualize in an objective way the opportunities of improvement in the flow. As result, it was noticed a potential gain in the lead time and in the value added, around of 31% and 12% respectively, besides of waste removal. The paper contributed to the involvement of the people related to DP of the company to seek and discuss opportunities of process improvement and of the interrelationship between them, as they can express their opinions, therefore, at this point the methodology proved to be assertive. At the end, it was concluded that the aim was achieved. However, after the implementation of the future state this one becomes the current state, and then, becomes again the subject of improvement studies. As suggestion for next studies continuing this work, the VSM can be extend to other areas involved in the PDP of the company.