Improving Production Changeovers and the Optimization: A Simulation Based Virtual Process Approach and Its Application Perspectives

Abstract

Manufacturers are required to compete in the global marketplace, both responsively and in a sustainable manner. In order to be responsive to the customers’ dynamic needs and lower production costs, manufacturers often are required to produce a variety of products on a single production system, thereby ensuring agility and sustainability. It takes time and resources when a production system switches from one product to another, particularly in a frequent time-efficient mode. This paper aims to highlight the possible improvements in the overall capability of a production system, which remains one of the most significant facets in lowering production change over time with greater efficiency using some proposed methodologies. These include automation as well as the introduction of numerous types of conveyor in order to reduce changeover time. To that end, an industrial case study is conducted on a food production plant. To attain the objectives of maximum production and waste-reduction, a virtual production plant model is developed using Arena software by comparing existing production setups. The virtual simulation-based case study encompasses the changes in facility layout, process automation, process mapping, manufacturing complexity issues, changeover cycles as well as sustainability in the production system.