Shanghai, February 2005
The principles of Demand Flow® Technology are a close complement to those of Value-Stream Mapping. Value Stream Mapping shows how product and information flow across all the process steps in the supply-chain. It compares the current state with the future state to provide a visual description of the target objectives that need to be achieved. Demand Flow® Technology provides a complete set of tools for all of the manufacturing process changes that need to be made to meet these objectives. There is a precise step-by-step methodology to establish the ideal product flow starting within manufacturing and a comprehensive set of planning tools to extend across the entire supply-chain.
DFT is able to extend beyond the natural boundaries of Value-Stream Mapping and uses specific tools to drive product flow right through the manufacturing process.
Key areas of synergy and enhancement are:
Together Value Stream Mapping and Demand Flow Technology provide a common language to drive all parts of the manufacturing enterprise to changes in value at the customer.
Demand Flow Technology delivers quantitative actions to execute on the qualitative visualizations of Value Stream Mapping.
Demand Flow Technology provides the mathematical tools to implement One-Piece Product Flow right across the manufacturing processes.
Value-Stream Mapping defines a break-though by comparing Current and Future states. Demand Flow Technology realizes the breakthrough by reducing the production cycle time down to the levels of total work-content time.
Demand Flow Technology applies its mathematical tools to Value Stream Mapping's summary data to implement the changes at the plant floor level.
Value Stream Mapping starts with a product family and identifies optimum flows across a fixed process infrastructure. Demand Flow Technology beyond the product family to flow a mixed model or