Design, simulation and improvement of the end-of-line conveyor system for car rear seatbacks manufacturing

Abstract

The paper provides designing and simulation of a conveyor system which will transfer seats from one station to another for a Tier 1 automotive seating supplier. The overall goal is to increase workplace safety, minimise labour cost and optimise manufacturing processes. The study improves the marriage assembly process and the loading station of the rear seat backs. The current process is simulated against the proposed one to avoid any safety concerns. We cannot simulate the AGREPT (analysis of risky gestures and their effects on hardness at work) issues within the product cycle, so alternative processes must be done before simulating. The process was first modelled and then compared to the actual manufacturing performance. The conveyor will be equipped with safety factors, mechanical design, material specifications, and machine components based on survey and pairwise-comparison. The results shows identify the areas of improvements in process.