Improving production efficiency through Lean Flexible Cellular Manufacturing Simulation

In the world with increasing sources of uncertainties, manufacturing industry is facing problems that are both bigger and more complex. The industry must continue to run the business smoothly in the continuously changing environment. In this study, a Lean Flexible Cellular Manufacturing Simulation (LFCMS) model was developed, tested and implemented to improve flexibility, efficiency and output level inside a manufacturing plant. Namely, an investigation using Value Stream Mapping (VSM) of overall production process was carried out to identify possible root causes of waste. Then, several designs of cellular manufacturing are developed in simulation models and were verified by comparing to the actual production data. The results from simulation runs are compared and analyzed in the last section. We show that the LFCMS model can be used to improve both the productivity and flexibility, while reducing production cost of a manufacturing facility facing uncertainties in business environment.