Anand Ramesh Chhajed graduated from department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering in May 2005.  He also has a B. E (ME) in 2001 from the Shivaji University, India.

Project title: Lean Office: Transformation to lean purchasing process

(May 2005)

Abstract

Purchasing has a key role in reducing cost. This project deals with the implementation of lean principles to eliminate waste and increase the efficiency of the purchasing process. The purchasing process of four companies was analyzed and a current state value stream map (VSM) was created depicting the cycle time, travel time and the number of hand offs within the process. VSM is an excellent tool to analyze the flow of material and information. The existing purchasing process was analyzed and areas that add no value to the process were identified. Lean techniques such as error proofing and waste elimination were used to drive out waste and achieve continuous flow. A new future state VSM was prepared that presents the model of lean purchasing process eliminating excessive handoffs, returns, and duplicate work. The result of the project is a designed purchasing process which is more focused for a profitable organization.