Increasing the production capacity of a work cell using modeling and simulation

A model was developed for a work cell at a specialty wood products manufacturer. The cell uses eight "AE" machines to shape small wood blocks and one "Three-Links" machine to drill, sand, and taper the shaped blocks The theoretical production capacity for the cell (i.e., no delays due to sorting, scheduling, or other causes of downtime), is approximately 13000 pieces per workday. The actual capacity for the cell has averaged 5000 pieces per day, plus or minus 2000 pieces. Thus, not only is the average capacity unacceptably low but the variation in capacity is excessive as well. The primary purpose for this project was to determine methods to increase capacity for the cell. Specific objectives were to: model the system in its current configuration; use the model to examine the causes of downtime; and explore methods to increase capacity. Two models were developed for the process