Value-Stream Mapping in Process Industry

Concentrating on creating value for customers is a primary concept of lean thinking. Value-stream mapping is one of the lean production tools which leads to understanding of the current situation and finding improvement potentials by reducing or removing wastes. Applicability of value-stream mapping in process industry has been less-assessed in scholar activities. This research is aiming to provide an appropriate answer to whether this tool is effective for chemical process context or not? According to this research which is a case study in AkzoNobel Surface Chemistry Europe plant in Stenungsund, Sweden, value-stream mapping can effectively illustrate the current state of the company including the connections and communications between processes. But considering the unique configuration of this industry and the embedded gaps in the methodology, it does not have the appropriate potential for providing strong improvement suggestions in this context. This research pin points the unique configuration of chemical processes and provides recommendations to enhance the applicability of value-stream mapping for this industry.