Designing Material Flow Through a WIP Market: The Case Study of Xylem Inc.

The following thesis aims to detail the utility and development of a Work In Process (WIP) Market at the Montecchio Maggiore site of Xylem Inc, a leading metalworking company in the field of hydraulic pumps and water control and movement systems. After a brief introduction to the history and values of both the corporate company Xylem and the Italian plant Lowara, the document outlines the fundamental principles of Lean Thinking and their application within the company. It then presents the details of the Value Stream Transformation Plan currently underway at the Italian site, starting from the current "as-is" state and describing all the activities aimed at achieving the desired "to-be" state. In particular, the document will follow one specific family of products, chosen as the pilot value stream for the entire project. The final section focuses on optimizing material flow, highlighting the tools and techniques used to streamline material delivery within the plant. Key areas of discussion include the creation of a centralized WIP market for all the different parts that constitute the motor of the pump, destined for various assembly lines, as well as the systems used to determine what to produce and how to deliver it efficiently to the different cells. This document was written during an internship as a Continuous Improvement Specialist at the Lowara production site in Montecchio Maggiore.