Title: Manufacturing management of productivity in the steel industry using system dynamics modelling and statistical evaluation

Authors: Thinandahva Thomas Munyai; Michael Kweneojo O. Ayomoh; Olasumbo Ayodeji Makinde; A. Edgar Nesamvuni; Boitumelo I. Ramatsetse

Addresses: Department of Operations Management, Tshwane University of Technology, Pretoria, South Africa ' Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa ' Department of Operations Management, Tshwane University of Technology, Pretoria, South Africa ' Faculty of Management Sciences, Tshwane University of Technology, Pretoria, South Africa ' Educational Information and Engineering School, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, Pretoria, South Africa

Abstract: This paper has identified and analysed various drivers capable of influencing the level of productivity in steel manufacturing. The South African Steel Manufacturing Industries (SASMI) was used as a case study for this research. In order to achieve this, a comparative analysis of factors that could influence the productivity of SASMI was conducted using the exploratory factor analysis. Next was the creation of an integrated network of the systemic factors and lastly, the development of a system dynamics model for insight into the sensitivity of productivity dynamics per factor over a period of 30 months. Multiple regression analysis (MRA) was used to establish the relationship between productivity and its drivers. The results of the MRA, showed that competitiveness (in terms of production strategy, speed, cost, quality monitoring strategy and market share), facility layout and government support with weights of 0.319, 0.249 and 0.153, respectively, are critical to the productivity of SASMI.

Keywords: productivity; system dynamics; steel manufacturing; manufacturing management; multiple regression analysis; MRA.

DOI: 10.1504/IJISE.2023.129752

International Journal of Industrial and Systems Engineering, 2023 Vol.43 No.4, pp.491 - 528

Received: 23 Jan 2021
Accepted: 29 Apr 2021
Published online: 24 Mar 2023 *

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