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Increasing Output from a Repair Department by Kenneth Doole The following case study came from Jim Kwiecien. Jim received an iPod Nano for his kind contribution. We’d love to hear about how SIMUL8 has helped your business. If we use your story in our newsletter or on our website we’ll give you an iPod Nano. Please send your case studies to webteam@simul8.com. Background Information Jim and his team used SIMUL8 to improve the output and efficiency of their repair and refurbishment department for computer disk drives. Their story shows how SIMUL8 can be used as an experimental tool that eliminates risks, identifies constraints and ultimately leads to achieving optimum system performance. The Problem The organization’s need for simulation was based on a number of problems at the repair plant. Low output and slow turnaround times meant targets weren't being met. A lack of capacity for units awaiting repair was becoming increasingly problematic. New replacement drives were being issued simply because they did not have time to repair those that were returned. In addition, the inability to fulfill customer orders meant that the plant was struggling to meet its production schedules. As a result of these obvious inefficiencies, both time and money were being wasted. The key question was “How can we alter the current system to improve throughput?” This would require analyzing proposed changes. It was decided that the best way to do this would be to develop a simulation of the plant and make the changes to the simulation, rather than taking risks amending the actual system. Factors to consider were:
The Approach The process engineers established that they needed a simulation software package that was easy to use, had sound graphic capabilities, was reasonably priced and was easy to install. For these reasons they chose SIMUL8 and within hours of receiving the product they began building their simulation. Firstly Jim's team had to collect the data for the simulation. They did this by working on the production floor and questioning employees for data such as existing queue sizes, process and cycle times, output destinations, quantities and departure patterns. Although the collation of the data was time consuming and somewhat cumbersome, the way in which it was applied to SIMUL8 was quick, easy and made for instant results. This made the implementation stage of the project the easiest. The company’s use of SIMUL8 became increasingly justified as the implementation phase took place. They found that the simulation gave “very, very close results” to those previously measured on the shop floor. Through simulation, the process engineers could also instantly identify where their main constraints lay:
Bottlenecks are instantly identifiable via the graphics in SIMUL8 (work items build up where queues are present) and through this process engineers could identify where and how changes should be made. The Result As a result of analyzing the simulation, Jim and his colleagues were able to make educated amendments to their system: amendments that resulted in vast improvements to the throughput of the plant. The changes they made were:
After discovering the constraints and removing them from the system, as well as implementing changes outlined, engineers noticed staggering output improvements. By the end of the project, the plant was shipping around 3000 units per week compared to the 30 – 50 prior to the simulation project. This figure was continuously achieved with the new system, often increasing to as much as 5000 units.
This case is one of many that clearly conveys just how much the use of SIMUL8 can improve business processes; saving time, unwanted mistakes and most importantly, money.
New Service Pack for SIMUL8 2005 Build 990 If you have any questions generated from, or comments about this
newsletter then email Newsletter@SIMUL8.com
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