Design and implementation of Product Wheel. A case study in the manufacturing industry

Manufacturing firms operating in environments marked by high product variety and limited stability face increasing challenges in coordinating production activities. Under such conditions, traditional MPS–MRP planning struggles to ensure flow continuity and coherence across processes, making it difficult to maintain effective synchronization between upstream and downstream operations. This thesis therefore investigates how the production system can be configured to operate effectively in environments marked by high variety, limited stability, and heterogeneous operating configurations. The thesis examines the Product Wheel as a potential response to these challenges. It analyzes the principles that guide its design and the way in which it transforms production from a set of reactive decisions into a repeatable and flow-oriented system. The goal is to assess whether – and how – the Product Wheel can stabilize execution, reduce sensitivity to short-term variability, and improve coordination between upstream and downstream operations. The study combines a review of the scientific literature with a real industrial case in which the Product Wheel was developed as part of a broader Lean transformation initiative. The project activities included mapping the production flow, identifying the main sources of instability, progressively designing the Wheel, and assessing its initial operational effects; these elements are analyzed and discussed in the thesis. The case shows how a cyclic and structured scheduling approach can enhance flow continuity, improve sequence predictability, and strengthen the synchronization between production stages. The significance of the results lies in demonstrating that the Product Wheel can serve a broader role than that of a scheduling tool: it can function as a mechanism for stabilization and learning, capable of guiding the evolution of the production system through SPDCA cycles and supporting the transition toward a more scientific and flow-oriented management approach in increasingly complex environments.