On supporting Lean methodologies using constraint-based scheduling

Lean Manufacturing often simply referred to as Lean is a process management philosophy that aims to improve the way in which products are manufactured. It does this through identifying and removing waste and creating a smooth transition between stages in the production process. To a large extent, it relies on visual and simple mechanical aids to assist in improving manufacturing e ectiveness. However, when it comes to combining several aspects of Lean or when dealing with complex environments, quantitative modelling becomes essential to achieve the full bene ts of Lean. In this paper, we show through two detailed case studies how various aspects of Lean can be supported using (constraint-based) scheduling tools. One study concerns a planning support tool to evaluate di erent Lean initiatives; the other supports the day-to-day scheduling of a complex, Leaned production process