Simulation based evaluation of the Workload Control concept for a company of the automobile industry

This paper describes a simulation study conducted for a company of the German automobile supply industry facing the need to improve delivery reliability. The intention of the study was to evaluate whether workload control (WLC) is applicable as production control policy for this company and whether improvement can be expected. Therefore the regarded shop floor was modeled being organized as a WLC production system. Both, the structural and quantitative model components of the developed simulation model are explained in depth. Furthermore it is shown how inherent parameters of the WLC concept can be set using the simulation model in a practical environment. As due date compliance is the primary concern of the company, the performance of four simple priority dispatching rules is analyzed with regard to delivery reliability. As a result it is shown that WLC is applicable in the given situation and that performance enhancements can be expected.