While gaining insight into cellular flow designs and their 4 stages, it is important to understand their types. This will help you understand which cellular flow design you can use, and where you can use it. The table below shows the 8 different types of cellular layouts that you can implement in your workplace:
Table 1: Different types of cellular flow set up
As part of cellular flow designs, it’s important to understand the concept of a ‘U’ shaped cellular layout. Here’s a figure of a ‘U’-type cell and a cell with a parallel line configuration.
‘U’ shaped cellular flow layout
Keep in mind that a traditional setup of cellular flow designs takes more time to complete an order than one that uses continuous flow principles using one-piece flow and a cell structure.
From my own experience in the field of cellular flow designs, it doesn’t take much time to develop the ‘best working cell’ for production. However, it’s letting go of the old method that takes time. It’s essentially an issue with mindset and status quo! Instead of finding ways to make it work, people get caught up in the things that don’t work in the new method. Therefore, the most important aspect of adapting to new methods is successful change management. It holds the key.