Facility layout optimization using simulation in an automative company

The aim of this study is to transform an assembly line in an automotive company on which only one type of a car can be operated, into a flexible assembly line on which different types of cars can be operated at the same time.In this company, two different car models will start being produced on the same assembly line instead of one. Therefore, some changes in the system are needed to be made. In the first stage of this thesis, current production system, facility layout and transportation activities are examined and problems of the system are determined. In the system, there is not an effective material handling and stock control system and parts are being damaged and delays are occurring during the transportation. In order to solve these problems and make production system more flexible, some improvements are proposed. A pull system which controls production between departments and quantity of work in progress is developed. Facility layout for new coming models is also designed and in order to perform transportation operations in more effective way with minimum cost, AGV (automatic guided vehicle) system is suggested instead of forklifts.In this thesis, also a simulation study was developed to see at what degree the improvements increase the system performance and to find the optimum value of decision variables by using ARENA 10.0.