The Use of Value-Stream Mapping Tools
Three of the seven value-stream mapping tools were
applied in analysis of the internal processes of the
case company. Four different products were chosen
for the analysis. In this paper, an analysis of ketchup
that was manufactured for the small marketing company
(Figure 3) is discussed. The shipments were
delivered directly to the stores almost daily. Because
the demand chain from contract manufacturer to
stores was direct, the value-stream mapping was
only done internally in the case company. The flow
of the product was followed from raw materials to
the deliveries.
Process-Activity Mapping of Ketchup. The aim
of process-activity mapping was to clarify the
value-added material flow of the product within
the company. The flow of materials was examined
at the factory level. Figure 4 presents the manufacturing
stages. The longest that raw materials
and packaging materials wait in inventory before
production starts is six months and three months,
respectively. As seen in Figure 4, both manufacturing
and packaging are fast processes. The holding
tank between manufacturing and packaging acts as
a buffer that guarantees flexibility in manufacturing.
End products are stored in the factory and the final
inventory operates on the first-in-first-out (FIFO)
principle. The mapping reveals that value-added
material flows, including manufacturing and packaging
processes, take very little time compared to
non-value-added flows. The most important waste