Maintenance Process Analysis in a Port Cargo Company through Discrete Event Simulation

Abstract

Cargo transfer is a key procedure in port businesses; nevertheless, the electromechanical equipment employed for maintenance should adhere to a set of standards to ensure its proper operation all the time, which may raise production costs. Because of this, every improvement that enables minimizing production losses and expenses over the short, medium, and long time is a decisive choice that companies should consider becoming sustainable. Under this policy, the maintenance process has assumed a significant role as an integral part of the manufacturing process and not only as a dependency of the company. In this study, proposals for improving a port company's maintenance procedure will be analyzed using the discrete event simulation technique. The findings at the task execution stage reveal delays or queues that have a direct impact on the overall time necessary to accomplish maintenance. The reason that the equipment in the locations is not available on time could be due to a lack of supplies or replacement parts required to finish the repair. This has a negative impact on the scheduled maintenance times. Additionally, the simulation results show that incorporating one person into the process improves reaction times. However, the final recommendation is that a future role or workload study should be carried out instead of hiring other employees and, if possible, redistributing workloads among the people who are part of the company.