New trends in the improvement of production processes.

Micieta, Branislav, Stollmann, Vladimir

1. INTRODUCTION

In recent years, a great progress has already been made in the field of production processes. This article brings a view on its various methods with focus on a new research in the Department of Industrial Engineering in Zilina.

2. PROBLEM DESCRIPTION

Enterprise in strong world competition has to bring high-quality products at permanently low prices into market.

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Enterprise can react to oscillation of raw materials input prices and output production quantity with the target of reaching minimum prices by using three different methods:

1. Adjusting the construction of products.

2. Adjusting production technologies to the production quantity.

3. Using apposite proposal of design and optimizing production processes.

From the economical point of view, flexible reactions to perpetual changes are possible only with suitable tools of production processes optimization.

3. SOME METHODS OF PRODUCTION PROCESSES OPTIMIZATION

Many supporting tools falling into the field of Industrial engineering have been developed for the field of production systems design and optimization of production processes.

One of the best-known philosophies for the field of production processes is JIT (Just in Time).

2.1 What is JIT

Just-In-Time (JIT) production systems, invented by Taiichi Ohno, is a management philosophy that calls for reducing work-in-process inventory to improve the manufacturing cycle, increase the speed of information exchange and upgrade productivity. It is aimed at "a close alignment of production and market requirements". Small lot production, frequent delivery of parts and components, levelling of production volume, and reduction of set-up times are the essential features of the system. 4Some others are the use of group technology, total preventive maintenance, statistical process control, cross-trained employees and uniform work loads (Mittal 2007).

2.2 TQM

Total Quality Management is a management approach that originated in the 1950's and has steadily become more popular since the early 1980's. Total Quality is a description of the culture, attitude and organization of a company that strives to provide customers with products and services that satisfy their needs. The culture requires quality in all aspects of the company's operations, with processes being done right the first time and defects and waste eradicated from operations (Nayantara ,2008).

2.3 Information systems

ERP philosophy has evolved from MRPII philosophy. MRPII philosophy evolved from MRP philosophy. It is important to understand the difference between each term.

Effective ERP requires that integrated management processes extend horizontally across the company, including product development, sales, marketing, manufacturing, and finance. It must extend vertically throughout the company's supply chain to include the acquisition of raw materials, suppliers, customers, and consumers (Bubenik, 2004).

2.4 Digital Factory

Data from workroom have to be handled online so that we can immediately respond to any product aberrations. We can create various scenarios by changing various internal and external parameters and observe how the system will behave and how it will reflect in customer requirements (Paur ,1996). This system enables us to make decisions before actual need of production. This way we can solve questions of suitable technology and profitability of production. The digital factory finds its application in all sectors with high level of competition and complex production processes and restriction of cost and rise of productivity--which are one important aspect of organization survival (Gregor, 1998).

Possibilities of recent financial cost reduction and CIM data Reports from March 2003 are demonstrated in Fig 1:

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Description of picture:

1. Cost savings due to reduction in inventory--10%.

2. Facility saving from optimized plant layouts--25%.

3. Cost saving due to improved labour utilization in product manufacturing--30%.

4. Saving cost due to optimized material flow 35%.

5. Reduced number of Workstations count, Tools, Machine--40%.

6. Reduction in overall production--13%.

7. Increased production throughput--15%.

8. Time to Market Reduction--30%.

4. RESEARCH IN OUR DEPARTMENT

Our department deals with a research of approach leading to optimization of production processes in the field of digital enterprise. Its target is to develop a progression enabling to achieve a process of production approaching the required optimum. Basic principle of optimization methodology is demonstrated in figure 4. It is based on a relation between products parts, processes and resources. This approach enables the best adjustment of production processes considering products construction as well as available production mechanisms. In methodology, the aforementioned principles of digital factory and industrial engineering are being used. Likewise, our department focuses on integrating these classical industrial engineering methods into software environment of a digital factory. Whereas the important point is the creation of integrity among examined elements.

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Significance of this activity lies in considerable production effectiveness increase due to better reaction to changes of inputs and outputs. This leads to an increase in companies competitiveness.

5. WHAT IS NEW

Tools of digital factory are very promising in the modern enterprise. At present, their implementation is being put into effect in big companies, mostly in automotive and aeronautics industry. They are also being counted on in the implementation in middle companies in the future. Department of Industrial Engineering activities chart the results in the following fields of research:

1. New approaches of processes control.

2. Designing methodology in the environment of a digital factory.

3. Automation of assembly processes.

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6. FURTHER RESEARCH

Future research is focused mainly on the following fields:

--integration of software base with tools of industrial engineering,

--development of specific areas of digital factory,

--ergonomic aspects of production and assembly processes.

7. CONCLUSION

This article enables to create a new view on the field of production processes improvement. This view is significant mainly for companies with high complexity of production processes. The focus of this research lies in methodology of processes improvement in the environment of a digital factory. The Department of Industrial Engineering research is intended to continue in the future.

8. REFERENCES

Bubenik, P.; Bubenikova, E. & Korbel, P. & Nagy, P. (2004). Informacne technologie pre podnikovu prax, Information Technologies for Company Practise, Zilinska univerzita, ISBN 80-8070-288-8, Zilina, Slovakia

Gregor, M.; Haluskova, M. & Hromada, J. & Kosturiak, J. & Matuszek, J. (1998). Simulation of Manufacturing System, Politechnika Lodzska, ISBN 83-87087-11-4, Poland

Nayantara Padhi (2008), The Eight Elements Of TQM, Available from: http://www.isixsigma.com/library/content/c021230a.asp Accessed:10 September 2008

Mittal, S.; Wang, H.P. (2007). Simulation of JIT Production to Determine Number of Kanbans, Springer London, ISSN 0268-3768,

Paur, J.; Gregor, M. & Lassak,V. & Kosturiak, J. (1996) . Industrial Engineering and Manufacturing Enterprise, Univerzita Zilina, ISBN 80-966996-5-2, Zilina, Slovakia