Discrete Event Simulation of the Paint shop at VBG Truck Equipment : A method for Work shift Optimization and Balanced Production flow

Sammanfattning: The background for this thesis work emanates from a desire to drive the production of the VBG Truck Equipment factory in Vänersborg a step further to catch up with the Industry 4.0 standards. Discrete Event Simulation (DES) is a widely adopted tool within industries to model real-world systems to improve their processes. The concern of bottlenecks is a vital problem in optimizing and improving the efficiency of production processes. Finding and investigating bottlenecks is one of the primary considerations of all manufacturing industries.The company aims to enhance its logistics by using automation in its processes. This work focusses on the Paint shop part of the VBG factory. Thus, the VBG would like to analyse the methods to reduce the bottlenecks and the waiting time in the Paint shop production process. There were no simulation models available to analyse the existing paint shop pro duction flow; therefore, a Discrete Event Simulation (DES) model of the VBG Paint shop was built to investigate the bottlenecks and improvement methods. In this thesis work, the DES model of the existing Paint shop that uses the Last in First Out (LIFO) method was investigated to find the throughput and lead time for the products. In comparison, a First in First Out (FIFO) method was used to get a balanced production flow, and its effects were studied. The company currently uses two shifts in their Paint shop, so the alternate arrangement of shifts using the same number of operators was analysed. The analysis of three shifts with the same number of operators gave more efficiency than the existing one, and three shifts with an increasing number of operators were also compared. The shift arrangements were compared with both the LIFO and FIFO methods, and FIFO provided more throughput and balanced production flow. The main bottleneck was identified in the forklift transport waiting time, so an alternate layout using a power and free conveyor system was developed. This alternate arrangement reduced the bottlenecks and produced an increased output. The alternate layout was also compared with LIFO and FIFO methods; FIFO was the most efficient one. The shift patterns were also analysed, and the three shifts with a 50 percent increase in staff can reduce the stock build-up during the start of the first shift. As of this study, it was identified that the alternate model with FIFO is the most suitable solution for the company, and in the coming years, they intend to implement that. From the experimental results obtained, DES can be chosen as a method to analyse the problems associated with limiting the capacity of production. The DES modelling can be extended to the other processes in the factory and can be used for improving logistics and inventory management. The company production flow can be further advanced by evaluating the changes that can be implemented in the factory with real-time data.