Effects of using minomi in in-plant materials supply

Journal article, 2011

Purpose – “Minomi” is a unit load where no container is used. The aim of this paper is to identify the effects of using minomi in the materials supply within an assembly plant. Design/methodology/approach – Based on three case studies within the body shop of Saab Automobile in Trollha¨ttan, Sweden, effects of using minomi are identified. Furthermore, relations are identified between these effects and the different characteristics of each case. Findings – The paper identifies both benefits and drawbacks of using minomi and relates these benefits and drawbacks to different part characteristics, characteristics of the receiving assembly station, and characteristics of handling and storage. Among the benefits is that minomi is associated with space efficient presentation of parts. This can enable the presentation of a large number of part variants and also result in time efficient parts picking in the receiving assembly operations. Practical implications – Through the knowledge gained in the case studies, the potential benefits associated with minomi are more likely to be realised within industry. Originality/value – The paper provides insight into the concept of minomi, which has previously received very little attention in research literature, but which can offer substantial benefits within industry if used under the right conditions. Keywords Materials handling, Materials management, Sweden, Automotive industry Paper type Research paper