6.8 End-of-Topic Case: Krazy Kat’s Toy Spiral Production Process
Krazy Kat makes cat toys, including the plastic spiral discussed in the text chapter. Valerie S. Monroe manages the facility producing this toy and multiple others. Lately, she has been observing numerous problems in the manufacturing process leading to late deliveries, which is a big problem for their retail customers who value fast delivery as a competitive priority. Further compounding the problem, Valerie is experiencing increased costs on the line, as well as massive space issues within the facility.
Valerie walked the production line and collected the following data about the plastic spiral cat toy process. She chose this product because it is popular and experiencing increasing demand. Please use this data to develop your own current state map, which you can check against the one provided in Figure 6.2. Then answer the questions below.
| Customer Demand for Plastic Toys | 24,000 toys each week Average order size 100 Available work time 8 hours per day, 5 days per week |
|---|---|
| Raw Materials | 15 days of plastic in 3 colors |
| Inspection Department | People = 1 person at 100% time Batch Size = 1,000 toys Every 2 hours plastic equivalent to 4,000 toys is inspected. |
| WIP | 40,000 plastic toys |
| Injection Molding Department | People = 6 people, each at 100% time Batch Size = 1,000 Each person runs one molding machine. Each machine is capable of processing 5 toys in 87 seconds. |
| WIP | 60,000 plastic toys |
| Cutting Department | People = 1 at 100% time Batch size = 1,000 Every 15 minutes, this department can cut 409 toys. |
| WIP | 96,000 plastic toys in staging area |
| Packaging Department | People = 4 people, each at 25% time Batch size = Average: 100 plastic toys It takes 15 minutes to package, label, and box an average shipment of 100 toys. |
| Finished Goods | 80,000 plastic toys |
Questions
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Articulate why Value Stream Mapping is the right tool to use for the problems Krazy Kat is facing.
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Apply the Future State mapping tools discussed in the chapter to the cat toy–making operation. What improvements can you make, and what is the cumulative impact on processing lead time and wait time?