Inspired by traffic light synchronization in cities, Onde Verte® applies this principle to industrial production. It allows production units to be synchronized to reduce lead times, limit work-in-progress, and stabilize production plans over several months. Used in various sectors such as pharmaceuticals, metallurgy, and mechanics, this method optimizes resources and improves quality while reducing working capital requirements. Let’s take a closer look at its advancements…
Onde Verte is a concept that every driver in a city is familiar with. It refers to the synchronization of green lights along a one-way avenue. If the traffic lights are synchronized for a vehicle traveling at 30 km/h, for example, when the vehicle starts at a green light and maintains an average speed of 30 km/h, all subsequent lights turn green as it approaches.
Onde Verte® in Manufacturing: Synchronized Production Units
In manufacturing, Onde Verte® is similarly a scheduling mechanism that ensures each time a batch of products arrives at a production unit, the unit is automatically freed up to process it. The production units (machines, workshops, operators) are synchronized to be available exactly when needed.
This synchronization is naturally achieved in paced production lines, such as packaging lines, bottling lines, or automotive assembly lines. These are highly sophisticated production lines that are economically viable when processing large volumes. However, Onde Verte® works even when the production flows are limited.
Stable Plans, Greatly Reduced Lead Times, and Work-in-Progress with Onde Verte®
Too good to be true? It’s actually even better than that. Onde Verte® scheduling enables the construction of long-term production plans (6 months), which require little to no adjustments unless a major incident occurs.
A major incident is defined as an “abnormal” breakdown of a production unit or an “abnormal” demand fluctuation. Here, “abnormal” refers to variations beyond 2 or 3 standard deviations from the expected range.
The promises of this new scheduling method include significantly shorter product lead times, work-in-progress reduced by a factor of 3 to 4, a drastic reduction in working capital requirements (cash needs), and a stable planning system ensuring quality and regular supply chains.
Building Virtual Paced Production Lines in a Job Shop
When does this method apply? Essentially, it involves building virtual paced production lines, which is only relevant for production processes involving multiple, initially uncoordinated steps.
For example, this applies to:
- Batch production of semi-finished goods, followed by continuous packaging.
- Chemical and pharmaceutical industries, where chemical reactions take time.
- Batch processing in furnaces, involving heating, stabilization over several hours, and controlled cooling.
- Mechanical industries, such as machining, milling, and stamping.
This type of production setup is known in English as a “job shop”, where manufacturing occurs through successive specialized stages.
A Gain in Quality and Predictability
On the other hand, applying Onde Verte® to an already paced production line does not make sense for reducing work-in-progress. Likewise, it is unnecessary for high-demand consumer goods.
However, it brings valuable predictability to supply planning and production personnel scheduling. Unlike conventional MRP (Material Requirements Planning) methods, the production and supply plan (at the technological family level) is only revised occasionally—once every 3 to 6 months is an optimal rhythm.
This stable and predictable planning approach helps standardize production processes (cycle times, changeover times) by ensuring they are performed repetitively in the same time slots. Quality improves, suppliers operate more smoothly, and better overall organization is achieved.
The Success of Onde Verte®
The method has been applied in the pharmaceutical industry (e.g., long-molecule vaccines), leading to a 12-fold reduction in working capital requirements (WCR) and production lead times, along with a 20% increase in production capacity.
It has also been studied in fusion industries (glass, steel), where it divided lead times and work-in-progress by 10. In mechanical industries, it achieved a threefold reduction, while in industries combining manufacturing and packaging, it significantly reduced WCR and capital investment needs.
So, Onde Verte® is making progress, both in France and internationally. The “Green Wave”—our friends in the United States are going to need it!
Jean-Patrice NETTER
Founder & President DIAGMA
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