Waste Reduction in Production Processes through Simulation and VSM

Stefania Bait,Alessandro Di Pietro,Massimiliano M Schiraldi

doi:10.3390/su12083291

Stefania Bait, Alessandro Di Pietro + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/su12083291

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Journal: Sustainability	Publication Date: Apr 17, 2020
Citations: 15	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: University of Rome Tor Vergata

Abstract

Corporate managers often face the need to choose the optimal configurations of production processes to reduce waste. Research has shown that simulation is an effective tool among those conceived to support the manager’s decisions. Nevertheless, the use of simulation at the company level remains limited due to the complexity in the design phase. In this context, the Value Stream Map (VSM)—a tool of the Lean philosophy–is here exploited as a link between the strategic needs of the management and the operational aspect of the simulation process in order to approach sustainability issues. The presented approach is divided into two main parts: a set of criteria for expanding the VSM are identified in order to increase the level of details of the represented processes; then, data categories required for the inputs and outputs of each sub-process modeling are defined, including environmental indicators. Specifically, an extended version of the classical VSM (X-VSM), conceived to support process simulation, is here proposed: the X-VSM is used to guide the design of the simulation so that the management decisions, in terms of waste reduction, can be easily evaluated. The proposal was validated on a production process of a large multinational manufacturing company.

Highlights

The need for building a sustainable production system is increasingly evident in the industrial world [1]
The proposal is described into two main sections: in the first section a basic criterion through which it is possible to increase the detail level in the Value Stream Map (VSM) is identified; in the second section further criteria for defining the data categories required in input and output for sub-process modeling through an extended VSM (X-VSM) approach are outlined
The objective of this research is to investigate how to exploit the VSM to connect the strategic needs of the management to the operational aspects related to production process simulation, first of all, by defining the simulation output requirements to effectively help managers perform a what-if analysis on sustainability issues

Summary

Introduction

The need for building a sustainable production system is increasingly evident in the industrial world [1]. Among the various obstacles to their applicability in industrial contexts are, undoubtedly, the relevant costs in terms of time required to design, calibrate, and validate the process models, and the need for advanced technical modeling skills [4] Another challenge lies in the need to start the simulation project from an accurate and detailed representation of the system to ensure visibility on all sub-process variations [5]. The proposal is described into two main sections: in the first section a basic criterion through which it is possible to increase the detail level in the VSM is identified; in the second section further criteria for defining the data categories required in input and output for sub-process modeling through an extended VSM (X-VSM) approach are outlined. By defining these data categories, it is possible to guide the simulation so that outputs are matching expectations and required variables

Background

VSM and Sustainability

VSM and Simulation

Methodology

A Criterion for Expanding the Value Stream Map

Output Data

Application on a Real Case