Productivity enhancement in the assembly line of a horn manufacturing company

In the literature, there is a paucity of empirical research showing practical approaches to improving productivity of assembly line based manufacturing firms. This case-based paper attempts to bridge the gap by investigating an automobile horn manufacturing company, which is featured by manufacturing problems such as time loss and non-value added activities. Time study and operational analysis were conducted for all manufacturing stages of the horn assembly line and the bottleneck stages were identified. Three stages of the assembly line were modified as a consequence of the study, aiming to improve the process and labour productivity. The study led to the conclusion that the work-study techniques when utilised in manufacturing industries with a structured methodology would improve the work efficiency and labour productivity. The general framework and methodology used in this study for problem identification and solution development would be helpful for industrial practitioners to identify and address the productivity problems in their firms.