Turn lost production into profit - discrete event simulation applied on resetting performance in manufacturing systems

World-class utilization of manufacturing resources is of vital importance to any manufacturing enterprise in the global competition of today. This requirement calls for superior performance of all processes related to the manufacturing of products. One of these processes is the resetting of machinery and equipment between two product runs, which will be the focus area of this text. This paper examines to what extent discrete event simulation (DES) can be applied to the evaluation of resetting performance in manufacturing systems. For this purpose, a DES model of a factory unit in Sweden is used for the research trials, derived from real manufacturing situations. During the case study, DES has shown to be a potential tool for the evaluation of resetting processes. The results from the simulation runs provided valuable information for improvement initiatives. Among other findings a solution is proposed, that turns losses into profit.