Applying Lean methodologies and tools in an egg producing company
Likewise, a risk modelling approach for machine efficiencies, uptimes, operator cycle times, machine cycle times
and lead time will be adopted. All these refinements are intended to improve the ability of Value Stream Mapping
techniques to evaluate both the current situation and the future improvements in environments where variability
and risk are high. Recently, Abdulmaleka and Rajgopal (2006) have pointed out that the future VSM cannot be
easily evaluated in some situations. These authors have also proposed applying simulation to evaluate the future
VSM. Simulation techniques can handle uncertainty and create dynamic views of intermediate inventory levels,
machine efficiencies, and the different time measures for a future VSM. This approach provides a quantification
of the expected benefits that could be obtained by implementing the proposed improvements (Abdulmaleka and
Rajgopal, 2006). This information enables company managers to compare the expected performance of the future
Lean system (future VSM) with the existing system (current VSM). This comparison can be a good basis for
supporting the decisions to be adopted by company managers.