Simulation Design for Off-Line Training of Practical Lean Manufacturing Concepts for Visual Inspection

Customer needs for high-quality goods and the risk of product-liability litigation against businesses have made companies look for a way to sustain quality assurance in their products and services. Lean manufacturing is the latest and most successful system being used by companies to turn their business around. Visual inspection plays an important role to ensure quality product in manufacturing and service industries. Simulation accompanied by training has been proven to be effective in implementing lean concepts in visual inspection systems by enhancing operator accuracy and reducing search time. This article describes the development and application of a training system in a simulated visual inspection environment using a computer-based program to mimic the actual industrial setting. The system is designed and used to simulate and evaluate lean metrics such as time, accuracy, pacing, and data collection needed to train visual inspectors off-line.