USING AN ADVANCED DISCRETE-EVENT SIMULATION FRAMEWORK TO PRODUCTIVE CAPACITY MANAGEMENT OF A CAR-PARTS FACTORY

This work presents the development and application of an advanced modelling, simulation and optimization framework focused on the production process of car-parts factory in the Latin-American market. Lying on the concepts of the process-interaction approach, the principal components available in the discrete event simulation environment "SIMUL8" were used to achieve the best representation of the large and complex manufacturing system. Furthermore, advanced SIMUL8's Visual Logic tools were utilized for modelling specific design and operation features arising in the process under study. The developed tool provides a valuable support system for making and testing operative, tactical and strategic decisions, allowing a quick evaluation of possible sceneries ranging, from different operation schemes to potential alternatives of investment. The principal aim of this work is to provide a systematic methodology to validate, evaluate and improve the productive capacity management, enhancing both the process profitability and the degree of customer satisfaction.