Integrated Lean and Simulation for Productivity Improvement for Windows Manufacturing

• Author / Creator

  Wang, Yining

• The manufacturing sector is of importance to Canada’s economic vitality. However, given the phenomenon of globalization, low trade barriers, and advances in technology, there has been a decline in manufacturing’s share of the Canadian economy. Today, Canadian manufacturing companies are striving to grow their businesses and enhance productivity. Lean manufacturing, a systematic method born when Japan was facing a shortage of resources, has benefited the manufacturing industry for decades. Simulation proved to be effective to analyze dynamic processes and statistically justify paybacks; therefore, this research proposes to incorporate lean with simulation.

  The purpose of this research is to combine lean manufacturing and simulation tools to improve the productivity of the production line. Specifically, lean manufacturing is used as a starting point from which current state mapping and waste identification are performed, after which a root cause analysis is conducted, and corresponding solutions are proposed. Traditional manufacturers are usually reluctant to implement major changes proposed by lean if they cannot predict whether the gains are significant to cover the cost. In this research, simulation tools are used to statistically re-analyze the payback from the effect of changes to the production line. Since simulation can dynamically mimic the production process, it will also be used to conduct continuous analysis, such as determining where the bottlenecks are and to assist the resource allocation process. The methodology of this research is implemented through a case study with a local window and door manufacturer.

• Subjects / Keywords

  • Windows Manufacturing
  • Lean Manufacturing
  • Simulation
  • Productivity Improvement

• Graduation date

  Fall 2019

• Type of Item

  Thesis

• Degree

  Master of Science

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/r3-gqak-cd28

• License

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