Developing alternative scenarios in simulation with quality improvement tools: A case of textile firm

In the textile sector, which is labor-intensive and has an important place in the country's economy, it is very important to identify the problems in the system and to produce quick solutions to these problems. For this, it is needed to use the techniques that improve the system effectively in order to develop existing systems of companies in line with their goals and objectives. In the study, it is aimed to determine the current situation of the production line of a textile firm by simulation method. Within the scope of the study, it is aimed to create the best improvement plan by developing various production line improvement scenarios, to improve the system outputs with existing resources and to reduce bottlenecks by showing the effect of the use of quality tools in the scenarios developed. In this context, the current situation of the production line, assuming that the company is operating at full capacity, has been revealed by simulation method and pareto analysis and cause-effect diagram, which are quality improvement tools, are used to improve the current situation. Thus, a more systematic way has been followed while creating alternative scenarios. In the literature, quality tools are used to verify the current situation in the studies conducted in the textile sector. This study differs as it is used to determine priority improvement areas in the creation of alternative scenarios and contributes to the literature in this respect. In the first scenario made according to the results of the Pareto analysis, the amount of solid output in the system is improved by 11%, while in the second scenario, which is created using the cause and effect diagram, the amount of solid output is increased by 17% by employing 11 less workers. In the third scenario where both scenarios are performed together, the amount of solid output is increased by 25%. At the same time, the number of pending products is reduced by 69% with the second scenario and by 75% with the third scenario. According to the results of the study, it is seen that the third scenario uses the resources more effectively for the company and the product flow rate in the system increases, thus making the production system in the firm more sustainable. Key Words: Simulation, Quality Improvement Tools, Textile Sector, Arena Software