Dynamic control improves production without changing work in process levels
Dynamic production control and deadlock prevention in conveyor equipped manufacturing systems
Computational Engineering, Finance, and Science
Summary
Manufacturing systems often struggle to keep up with changing demand and varying delays. The authors studied a method that keeps the amount of work in process constant while using smart job orders and routes to boost production. They tested this on a system with six workstations connected by conveyors and found it increased output and prevented blockages. Their work also offers helpful tips for designing such systems and explains what digital tools are needed to make this possible.
What this means in practice
- •For manufacturing plant managers: Improve factory output and flexibility by controlling job order and routing without increasing work in process.
- •For automation engineers: Design conveyors and control software that dynamically manage jobs to prevent production delays and deadlocks.
Authors
Claudio Castiglione, Erica Pastore, Arianna Alfieri
Abstract
Flexible CONWIP approaches enable the dynamic production control to align production performance with production targets in the presence of high-fluctuating demand and system variability. However, frequently changing the WIP level might generate nervousness and, thus, can be practically infeasible. This paper investigates the combined use of job sequencing and routing to enable dynamic control in a CONWIP system comprising six unreliable workstations interconnected by conveyor carousels. Job sequencing and routing have been investigated using scenario analysis and discrete-event simulation. The results shed light on the effectiveness of the proposed approach, which improves throughput and enables dynamic production control without changing the WIP level. The results also provide managerial insights for system design, considering the impacts of the job-handling system (transport) and the minimum digital and technological requirements from Industry 4.0 for implementing the proposed approach.