Herramientas de manufactura esbelta en el área de corte de la empresa Corporación Impactex Cía. Ltda.

Abstract

The purpose of this research project is to propose the application of lean manufacturing tools in the cutting department of Corporación Impactex Cía. Ltda., a company dedicated to the manufacture and sale of underwear and sportswear. The study employs direct observation, an interview with the cutting supervisor, time and motion studies, an analytical flowchart, and Value Stream Mapping (VSM). Using ABC analysis, men’s boxer briefs were selected for the study as they are the product with the highest turnover. It was determined that the total standard time for the process is 881.65 minutes per batch of 480 dozen, with the layout stage having the greatest impact on the production flow. In addition, 30 activities were identified across the planning and layout, spreading, cutting, sorting, and packaging stages, where the main sources of waste were determined: unnecessary movements (68 percent), waiting (21 percent), defects (5 percent), and unnecessary activity (5 percent). Based on these results, improvement proposals are put forward using Kanban methodologies to reduce waiting time, 5S to minimize unnecessary movements, Kamishibai to control defects, and Kaizen to eliminate unnecessary weighing. The proposed VSM sets the total batch time at 862.44 min, equivalent to a 2.18 percent reduction, which contributes to a more organized, continuous, and productive process in the cutting area.