Improving lead time in product development process of an agricultural machinery company through value-stream mapping (VSM)

The constant search for process improvement requires a comprehensive knowledge of a company's resources, especially with regard to strategic processes for the organization, such as product development, which is directly related to technological changes and the needs of customers, which are becoming increasingly customized and difficult to meet. The value stream mapping method can help managers identify activities that cause losses in the process and may be effective in reducing the lead time in the product development process. Based on these assumptions, this work presents a case study on the application of value stream mapping in the product development process of an agricultural machinery company. The major sources of waste were identified and the process analyzed using value-stream mapping; proposals for changes were then made in consultation with the personnel involved in the projects. The application of the value-stream mapping method allowed the identification of waste in waiting time and in processing. We observed that if the improvement proposals are implemented, there may be a 41% reduction in the total lead time, which is a significant improvement for the process. Value-stream mapping allowed a simplified view of the process and facilitated the identification of waste and the understanding of process constraints, making value analysis more agile.