Sustainable domain value stream mapping (SdVSM) framework application in aircraft maintenance: A case study

Abstract

Lean and sustainable manufacturing are two independent theories in industrial engineering. A conceptual hybrid framework integrating lean manufacturing with sustainable manufacturing theories, known as sustainable domain value stream mapping (SdVSM) has been proposed previously. An aircraft maintenance process undertaken at a local airline was chosen as a case study to demonstrate the partial application of SdVSM where the first 3 steps of the SMMIAI methodology viz. Select, Map and Measure were illustrated. The selected process was analyzed and four main activities were identified. These were broken down into smaller sub activities and subsequently categorized into value adding and non-value adding activities. Sustainable manufacturing indicator repository (SMIR by National Institute of Standards and Technology, United States of America) was used as a guideline to establish the measurable indicators for each sustainability pillar at each mapped activities. The score for each combination of main activity-sustainable indicator was then determined. The methodology for the Relative Assessment of Building Solutions (MARS-SC) was adapted to facilitate sustainability assessment. Besides the sustainable scores, the future work and the challenges of implementing the SdVSM framework were listed in this paper.