| Featured Project Review
Lean Analysis for Appliance Assembly Throughput
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here to read the full project review. 
Client:
Major U.S. Appliance Manufacturer
Situation:
Throughput from the dishwasher tub line was not keeping pace with demand
from the final assembly area. In order to increase the tub line throughput,
the client added an extra shift at an annual cost of $275,000. The additional
shift should not have been necessary given that the takt time for all
tub operations was less than the required takt time at final assembly
Objectives:
Quickly determine the reason(s) for the inability of the tub assembly
area to produce at the rate required to feed the final assembly lines.
After determining root cause, the client wanted to identify and test potential
changes, and then implement the most cost effective solution.
Solution:
After months of traditional analysis with no definitive answer, ProModel
was engaged to develop a simulation model to mimic the tub assembly operations,
including the entire material handling system. The model was run under
existing operational assumptions and found to be a valid representation
of the actual system. Proposed changes to the system were then tested
through “What If” scenario analysis and the most cost effective
solution was found to relieve the problem.
To
view the results and to see addtional data and graphs please download
the entire project review in Adobe Acrobat PDF.
Tub
Line Simulation Model Showing Conveyor Re-Circulation Loop Solution
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