Manufacturing is the process of converting raw materials or components into finished goods that meet a customer’s set of requirements.
Manufacturing Challenges
- To deliver the correct product at the required time, cost effectively
- To schedule tasks and resources to optimise productivity
- To streamline automation, storage and/or transport systems – AMHS
- To balance lead time vs productivity
- To respond to fluctuating demand
- To build to order or build to stock
Simulation in manufacturing is a model linking machines, queues and operators which simulates parts moving from machine to machine. The model can imitate aspects such as: cycle times, setups, downtime, planned maintenance, dispatching rules, yield by step. Also planned orders, material handling and buffering areas are modelled. From a data perspective, times and yields can be averages, real or based on a statistical distribution, resembling the expected reality.
Simulation can deal with Complicated interactions
When to use Simulation?
- When you cannot predict what the effects of a change will be or how a proposed line might work. There are too many factors
- To further understand a line or factory
- To test a new or proposed system before investing in equipment
- To refine an existing process
‘BEFORE YOU DO IT – MODEL IT’
From this the models can be used to evaluate the impact on Lead-time, Utilisation, WIP levels and units produced. Simulation is specifically effective in dealing with complex flows, interactions between resources, planning on constraint management. Models can be used for existing or proposed Layout/Systems
- Optimised a transport system that increased output by 15% and revenue by 40 million per year
- Assisted in increasing factory capacity by 25% through improvements to transport logic
- Reduced lead time by 25%, in a manual environment by improved co-ordination between areas
- Designed scheduling rules for specialised equipment, which increased output by 5%
- Proved a proposed change will work – often a model is used just to test a proposed syste
Simulation Ireland provides a full design service.
- Materials Handling
- Plant Layout
- Cell Design
- Staffing Levels
- Capacity Planning
- Production Line Design