An implementation procedure for global value stream management

The growing volatility in resources and markets, the decreasing half-life of innovation associated with increasingly demanding customers, and the rapid transition of business models, require appropriate strategies. As a result, companies face an increasing number of product types, shorter product lifecycles and the trend to outsource value adding operations to suppliers. Therefore, the complexity involved when optimizing value added networks is strongly growing. To manage this complexity sustainably and improve efficiency, approaches to extend lean manufacturing methods throughout the global value network are necessary. A method to deal with complexity and for sustainable improvement of value added networks is Global Value Stream Management. This paper analyzes the main aspects of the widely used "value stream design method" usually only applied within a single company, in the following called "local". Based on this analysis, this paper shows, which methodologies canal so be used in companies with various sites and value streams extended over various companies (in the following called "global"). It also gives an insight which aspects of the methodology need further development, to be able to manage these global value streams efficiently.