A new lean tool to enhance internal logistics in Engineer and Design-to-Order industrial environment: plan for every order

Abstract

The paper presents a new Lean Logistics tool specifically designed for Engineer and Design-To-Order (ETO and DTO) industrial environments. The new tool, namely Plan For Every Order (PFEO), conceptually derives from the well-known Plan For Every Part used in the automotive serial production context. PFEO is proposed as a tool for industrialization, focusing on the design and logistics optimization of internal material flows at ETO and DTO plants. In the paper, the principles, and concepts behind PFEO are presented and developed. The tool collects information on both suppliers and materials, improving both the management of materials and spaces and communication between the company and suppliers. The operability of the tool is proven in a real business case involving an shipyard. The PFEO has provided a solid database for the development of auxiliary monitoring and visualization tools, the application of which increases order in the warehouse and assembly areas and reduces costs and errors.

Keywords

• Lean manufacturing
• Lean logistics
• Engineer-to-order
• Design-to-order
• shipyard