Title: Simulation-aided control of materials flow in human intensive manufacturing industries: a case study

Authors: Felix T.S. Chan

Addresses: School of Manufacturing and Mechanical Engineering, University of South Australia, The Levels, Pooraka, South Australia, 5095, Australia

Abstract: A simulation technique is applied to evaluate the performance of an optical manufacturing system, in order to discover: the requirements for human resources, the lead time of a complete batch, the utilisation or stations, the throughput time, and the effect of reduction in batch size on the resources and lead time. It is the intention of the company to implement the system in the near future. This paper discusses some of the techniques used to develop a faithful model for this system, and the benefits of applying simulation in analysing manufacturing systems.

Keywords: human intensive manufacturing; manufacturing systems; modelling; scheduling; simulation; optical manufacturing; human resources; lead times; throughput time; batch size; materials flow; flow control.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMPT.1995.036461

International Journal of Materials and Product Technology, 1995 Vol.10 No.3/4/5/6, pp.344 - 359

Published online: 03 Nov 2010 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article