Flow Optimisation for Improved Performance of a Multivariant Manufacturing and Assembly Line

Sammanfattning: Stoneridge, Inc. is an independent designer and manufacturer of highly engineered electrical and electronic components, modules and systems principally for the automotive, commercial vehicle, motorcycle, agricultural and off-highway vehicle markets. A subsidiary of Stoneridge, Inc. is the company Stoneridge Electronics. They specialise in instrument clusters and tachographs which are manufactured in high quantityin their production plant in Örebro, Sweden. This master thesis focuses on the production line of an instrument cluster called Angela. In close collaboration with Stoneridge Electronics, the goal was to find ways to improve the output of the Angela line by at least 10% compared to the three best months in terms of output from the year before. The Angela line was analyzed thoroughly and from different perspectives using lean tools such as value stream mapping, spaghetti diagram and continuous improvement. Finally, the simulation software ExtendSim was used in order to simulate and analyse different suggestions. The results show that various steps can be taken to improve the efficiency and output of the manufacturing line by as much as 16.3%. Due to the fact that other production lines within the production are similar to the one that the project was carried out on, the project results could be applicable for the other lines as well.