Committee Chair

Alp, Neslihan

Committee Member

McMahon, Ed; Donan, Michael

Department

Dept. of Engineering

College

College of Engineering and Computer Science

Publisher

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

Place of Publication

Chattanooga (Tenn.)

Abstract

Intersign Corporation is a small signage manufacturing company in Chattanooga, Tennessee, which employs fewer than one hundred workers. The company produces variety of signage products and customized applications including room signs, room IDs, signs, suite IDs, nameplates, safety signs, menus, activity boards, traffic control signs, and many more. One of the company's main products, and the main subject in this study, is sandblasting products. Sandblasting production is a job shop operation which is placed in a 55 x 100 ft building (building B). In the near future, the company will expand this production by moving several workstations into the new building, "building C." The objective of this study was to evaluate the present layout and process operation of the sandblasting production and provide recommendations to the company based on the lean concept and value process analysis techniques. This study also helped the company to eliminate the non-value-added activities in order to minimize the production cost. The results of this study showed that the proposed layouts have better flow, less transportation time and distance, less work-in-process (WIP) inventory, less number of delay, less labor cost, and support a safer work environment. By examining and evaluating the current processes in detail, it has been determined that there are major chances for the company to reduce the production cost.

Acknowledgments

Thanks to everybody who helped, supported, and encouraged me to complete my master degree in industrial engineering. First of all, I would like to thank a very special professor, Dr. Neslihan Alp, as my academic and thesis advisor, who has always helped, supported, and advised me during my academic years at UTC. Next, I would like to thank Dr. Ed McMahon and Dr. Cecelia Wigal for their guidance. A special thank goes to Mr. Hank McMahon, the CEO of the Intersign Corporation Chattanooga, Tennessee, for giving me a great opportunity to do a research in his company. I also wish to thank Mr. Jim Roides for giving me a plant tour and guidance at the company. A special thank also goes to Mr. Michael Donan for giving his valuable time, guidance, and help in conducting the research at his department; sandblasting production shop. Finally, I would like to thank all employees at the Intersign Corporation who helped and gave me so much understanding about the company's production and operation. Thank you God for your love and blessings upon my life.

Degree

M. S.; A thesis submitted to the faculty of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Science.

Date

1-2004

Subject

Abrasives industry; Lean manufacturing

Keyword

sandblasting production; lean manufacturing; value analysis

Discipline

Industrial Engineering

Document Type

Masters theses

DCMI Type

Text

Extent

x, 101 leaves

Language

English

Call Number

LB2369.2 .N377 2004

Rights

https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en

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