Process optimization with simulation modeling in manufacturing systems and an implementation study

Computer simulation has become an important tool in modeling systems in the last 10 years due to parallel improvement in computer technologies. Companies tend to computer based system modeling and simulation not to lose any extra income or time to their competitors but to make future investments while they both have the same labor force, resources and technology. This study is an implementation of a machine spare parts manufacturer factory located in İzmir. ProModel simulation software was used to model the production line of the factory. Production line consists of nineteen work stations and was modeled for the most manufactured two products. The manufacture in the factory is divided into two weeks of batch production time and simulation model was demonstrated and replicated for 10 times to get results. Thus, statistics including existing capacity usages of work stations in the whole production line, were found to identify the bottlenecks of the critical work stations and machines. With the use of the simulation model, creating scenarios while making changes of the system parameters, taking the cycle times of the work stations, total production quantity, batch sizes and the shifts of the factory in hand helped to make suggestions.