The Use of Lean Methods in SMEs

The way to gain a competitive advantage in today's companies is to use modern common techniques. In this study, the improvements achieved by the use of lean manufacturing techniques for a profile manufacturing SME are discussed. First of all, in order to speed up the flow and prevent wastage (Muda), a settlement suitable for cellular manufacturing has been adopted. For this, a layout suitable for a one-piece flow is provided. The Spaghetti Diagram was used to determine the distances and directions of travel and to eliminate waste based on them. After that, the process was improved step with Kaizen. The staff pertaining to lean manufacturing can easily use it for production. In order to avoid inter-operational stocks in the process, the pull system philosophy has been determined. Kanban cards were used for this purpose. This study, it is aimed to show the small improvements to be used easily for SMEs with different techniques. The outcomes represent that lean manufacturing is capable of effectively implementing small and medium enterprises.