Automotive Manufacture: Ensuring Maximum Capacity

The Problem:

Major automobile manufacturers often produce a wide range of vehicles on a single assembly line. The time taken to fit various options depends on their complexity and the type of car. There are rules concerning how closely two cars requiring certain options may be spaced on the assembly line. As a result, determining the number of cars that can be built on any given day, given the types of cars that have been ordered, can be difficult to determine. If assembly line resources are not used efficiently the maximum capacity may not be achieved, with subsequent impact on the potential revenue that can be generated. It is crucial to know when capacity limitations may occur so that actions can be taken to address the situation.

Solution:

We developed software that analyses the end-to-end manufacturing process of one of the plants of a major automobile manufacturer. The software uses vehicle orders, assembly line rules and production information to determine when artificial limitations in capacity might occur. When capacity issues are identified, the software can automatically determine which rules are causing the pressure on capacity. Knowing this, production managers can then take action to loosen certain rules, for example by using extra staff at key assembly line stations, in order to increase overall capacity and thus ensure the most efficient operation of the plant overall.