The encyclopedia · Product & Design · Operational decision · 2003–2007
Ball Aerospace sized JIT batches by weighing the cost of waiting
Value-stream mapping then a batch-sizing trade-off model cut lead times at Ball Aerospace without breaking the budget.
Ball Aerospace
the move
Ball Aerospace makes highly engineered products where customer requirements set timing and quantity, so JIT had to be fitted to real contracts.
The first phase used value-stream mapping on two advanced-antenna products, reducing lead times and revealing improvement opportunities.
The second phase quantified batch-sizing trade-offs under different demand patterns so the company could allocate resources to the right process improvements.
why it works
- Value-stream mapping surfaced waste before any JIT change.
- It reduced lead times in the antenna and video systems division.
- Modeling the financial trade-off stopped over-shrinking batches.
- It gave managers a basis for resource-allocation decisions.
what transfers
Just-in-time shrinks lead time, but only if you also price the extra setups it demands; model that trade-off before you commit.
what came after
The analysis reduced lead times and gave Ball Aerospace a clear way to decide which current and planned process improvements to fund as external demand changed.
references
- Ball Aerospace Explores Operational and Financial Trade-Offs in Batch Sizing in Implementing JIT
- Ball Aerospace Explores Operational and Financial Trade-Offs in Batch Sizing in Implementing JIT
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