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Article
Publication date: 1 May 1997

A. Andijani

Investigates the trade‐off between the average throughput rate and the average systems time using kanban discipline. Considers a multistage serial production line system with…

1382

Abstract

Investigates the trade‐off between the average throughput rate and the average systems time using kanban discipline. Considers a multistage serial production line system with materials in the system controlled by kanban discipline. Presents simulation results to evaluate the production system performance in terms of the average throughput rate and the average system time for a fixed total number of kanbans over a given number of serial workstations. Constructs and compares efficient allocation sets for three and four workstations that are generated by kanban discipline for two processing time distributions, namely, uniform and exponential distributions. Based on the simulation results from three and four work‐stations, develops a general design rule to maximize the average throughput rate and to minimize the average system time. Analyses five and six workstations using the general design rule. Tests the validity of the general design rule by considering five and six workstations with a different number of kanbans. The results show that most of the efficient sets generated by the design rule are identical to those generated by enumerating all combinations of kanban allocations. However, using the general design rule reduces the simulation work tremendously.

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International Journal of Operations & Production Management, vol. 17 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0144-3577

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Article
Publication date: 2 February 2018

Sanjay Choudhari and Hasmukh Gajjar

The purpose of this paper is to present the simulation model for manpower planning in electrical maintenance service facility and evaluates different scenarios to improve resource…

1998

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present the simulation model for manpower planning in electrical maintenance service facility and evaluates different scenarios to improve resource utilization while meeting the desired service level.

Design/methodology/approach

The process systematically maps entire system of electrical fault rectification, identifies probability distributions of demand of electrical maintenance requests and its process times using historical data. The simulation software Arena was used to model the entire system and various possible improvements were evaluated to assess performance of maintenance service facility.

Findings

The simulation results obtained for the proposed changes in the system indicated the potential improvement in resource utilization while meeting the average waiting time expectations of customers.

Practical implications

The proposed simulation model can help maintenance people to decide the optimum number of resources to meet the agreed performance level that is expected by various stakeholders.

Originality/value

The paper considers the computer simulation in modeling complex real-life system for understanding the resource requirement of electrical fault maintenance facility to improve resource utilization while meeting the desired service level.

Details

Business Process Management Journal, vol. 24 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1463-7154

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Article
Publication date: 1 September 2001

S.O. Duffuaa, M. Ben‐Daya, K.S. Al‐Sultan and A.A. Andijani

Maintenance is a complex process that is triggered by equipment failure or planned repair. This process requires planning, scheduling, control and the deployment of maintenance…

3149

Abstract

Maintenance is a complex process that is triggered by equipment failure or planned repair. This process requires planning, scheduling, control and the deployment of maintenance resources to perform necessary maintenance activities. In this paper a generic conceptual model for maintenance systems has been developed. The conceptual model consists of seven modules. The first one is the input module in which the characteristic of the maintenance system is specified. The second module is concerned with modeling the maintenance load. The third module is the planning and scheduling. This module is the most critical, since it controls the maintenance process. The fourth module is the material and spare parts supply, followed by the equipment availability module. The sixth module is the quality control module and the performance measures are the seventh module. The specification of such a conceptual model lays the ground for developing a realistic simulation model.

Details

Journal of Quality in Maintenance Engineering, vol. 7 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1355-2511

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Article
Publication date: 1 September 2002

E.A.M. Mjema

A simulation modelling, using a simulation language SIMPLE++, was used to study the personnel capacity utilisation in a maintenance department. Input data included work orders…

1969

Abstract

A simulation modelling, using a simulation language SIMPLE++, was used to study the personnel capacity utilisation in a maintenance department. Input data included work orders with different throughput times, different personnel profile based on work order requirements, and different prioritisation rules. A decentralised maintenance department was assumed, whereby each department had its own maintenance unit. The effects of personnel organisational policies on the capacity utilisation of the personnel and on the throughput time of maintenance work orders were studied. The results of the simulation show that the best utilisation of the personnel and the best throughput time of maintenance work orders is obtained if the maintenance personnel are allowed to function across the borders of their department (here termed as exchangeability of personnel). Likewise, if there were universal maintenance personnel (i.e. who could take both electrical and mechanical work orders), then there would have been an optimum staffing of the maintenance department.

Details

Journal of Quality in Maintenance Engineering, vol. 8 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1355-2511

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Article
Publication date: 1 February 2000

Anthony Moung Yin CHAN, Fangus Wai Wa CHU and Chi Kwong YUEN

Total quality management (TQM) has been a popular managerial topic since the 1980s. However, not too many organizations have successfully implemented it. This paper studies a

434

Abstract

Total quality management (TQM) has been a popular managerial topic since the 1980s. However, not too many organizations have successfully implemented it. This paper studies a successful TQM project implemented in a manufacturing company in the People's Republic of China. It reports the TQM implementation process, the benefits generated from the TQM project, the problems that arose from the adoption of TQM for the company, and the main factors for the eventual success of the project. This case study is a reference for managers and researchers who are interested in TQM or interested in the Chinese managerial environment in general.

Details

International Journal of Commerce and Management, vol. 10 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1056-9219

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Article
Publication date: 1 April 2014

Abdullah A. Alabdulkarim, Peter D. Ball and Ashutosh Tiwari

The demand for contracts on assets availability has increased. Recently published papers show that the use of asset health monitoring technologies is being encouraged to improve…

1770

Abstract

Purpose

The demand for contracts on assets availability has increased. Recently published papers show that the use of asset health monitoring technologies is being encouraged to improve the asset performance. This is based on reason rather than analysis. This paper aims to understand and assess the effect of different types of business processes for maintenance resource levels on the behaviour of the maintenance operations and asset availability located at different customer locations using different asset monitoring levels.

Design/methodology/approach

A discrete event simulation (DES) model was developed to mimic complex maintenance operations with different monitoring levels (reactive, diagnostics, and prognostics). The model was created to understand and assess the influence of resources (labour and spare parts) on a particular maintenance operation. The model was created to represent different levels of asset monitoring to be applied in a case study. Subsequently, different levels of spare parts (ranging from deficient inventory to a plentiful spares inventory) and labour were applied to show the effects of those resources on the asset availability.

Findings

This research has found that the DES was able to discern different processes for asset monitoring levels in complex maintenance operations. It also provided numerical evidence about applying such asset monitoring levels and proved that the higher asset monitoring level does not always guarantee higher asset availability.

Practical implications

The developed model is a unique model that can provide the decision makers of maintenance operations with numerical evidence to select an appropriate asset monitoring level based on their particular maintenance operations.

Originality/value

A novel DES model was developed to support maintenance operations decision makers in selecting the appropriate asset monitoring level for their particular operations. This unique approach provides numerical evidence rather than reasoning, and also proves that the higher asset monitoring level does not always guarantee higher asset availability.

Details

Business Process Management Journal, vol. 20 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1463-7154

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Article
Publication date: 1 June 2015

Abdullah A Alabdulkarim, Peter Ball and Ashutosh Tiwari

Asset management has recently gained significance due to emerging business models such as Product Service Systems where the sale of asset use, rather than the sale of the asset…

898

Abstract

Purpose

Asset management has recently gained significance due to emerging business models such as Product Service Systems where the sale of asset use, rather than the sale of the asset itself, is applied. This leaves the responsibility of the maintenance tasks to fall on the shoulders of the manufacturer/supplier to provide high asset availability. The use of asset monitoring assists in providing high availability but the level of monitoring and maintenance needs to be assessed for cost effectiveness. There is a lack of available tools and understanding of their value in assessing monitoring levels. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

This research aims to develop a dynamic modelling approach using Discrete Event Simulation (DES) to assess such maintenance systems in order to provide a better understanding of the behaviour of complex maintenance operations. Interviews were conducted and literature was analysed to gather modelling requirements. Generic models were created, followed by simulation models, to examine how maintenance operation systems behave regarding different levels of asset monitoring.

Findings

This research indicates that DES discerns varying levels of complexity of maintenance operations but that more sophisticated asset monitoring levels will not necessarily result in a higher asset performance. The paper shows that it is possible to assess the impact of monitoring levels as well as make other changes to system operation that may be more or less effective.

Practical implications

The proposed tool supports the maintenance operations decision makers to select the appropriate asset monitoring level that suits their operational needs.

Originality/value

A novel DES approach was developed to assess asset monitoring levels for maintenance operations. In applying this quantitative approach, it was demonstrated that higher asset monitoring levels do not necessarily result in higher asset availability. The work provides a means of evaluating the constraints in the system that an asset is part of rather than focusing on the asset in isolation.

Details

Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management, vol. 26 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1741-038X

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Article
Publication date: 1 December 2005

Adolfo Crespo Marquez

This paper aims to present a case study where computer simulation is used to evaluate maintenance strategies targeted to cope with a critical failure of a repairable system.

1462

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to present a case study where computer simulation is used to evaluate maintenance strategies targeted to cope with a critical failure of a repairable system.

Design/methodology/approach

The problem is characterized, modeled and simulated under different conditions and for finite time periods. The different states of the system and the possible transitions among these states are characterized. Transitions are conditioned by the failure dynamics and by the maintenance decision maker. The model is then formalized and the data requirements fulfilled.

Findings

The performance of several maintenance policies based on educated estimations about the equipment behavior, manufacturer recommendations, well‐known previous maintenance practices, etc. benchmarked against the results of certain modeling and optimization tools.

Practical implications

Practical implications of this work have to do with following the entire modeling process and maintenance policy assessment with an engineering team, exploring options and opportunities to support the maintenance managers.

Originality/value

Maintenance policy design exploration using semi‐Markovian process simulation modeling.

Details

Journal of Quality in Maintenance Engineering, vol. 11 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1355-2511

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Article
Publication date: 25 October 2011

Javid Koochaki, Jos Bokhorst, Hans Wortmann and Warse Klingenberg

This paper seeks to study maintenance policies on a plant‐wide level. It focuses on the effectiveness of condition‐based maintenance (CBM). It highlights the role of the…

1604

Abstract

Purpose

This paper seeks to study maintenance policies on a plant‐wide level. It focuses on the effectiveness of condition‐based maintenance (CBM). It highlights the role of the production context and the importance of using appropriate metrics to assess CBM.

Design/methodology/approach

A simulation model was developed to explore the effects of production context using traditional performance indicators (costs and availability of each piece of equipment) and a more comprehensive metric (line efficiency).

Findings

The results showed that CBM has the best performance among other PM policies in loosely coupled processes. By contrast, in tightly coupled processes, CBM has a negative effect on the production line efficiency because it increases equipments' blockage and starvation states.

Research limitations/implications

The simulation model was developed to reflect the reality. Nevertheless, some assumptions have been used to develop the conceptual and computerized model, which can be explored further in future research.

Practical implications

The idea of this paper originates from empirical findings of fellow researchers. The findings in this paper provide a better understanding of how CBM affects key performance indicators in different production contexts and therefore help managers to appropriately execute CBM programmes.

Originality/value

This study focuses on CBM from a new angle. The majority of the literatures on condition‐based maintenance either discusses pure technical issues, or focusses on single equipment only. In this research, the effectiveness of CBM for two processes is studied and CBM is compared with block and age‐based replacement policies using a comprehensive performance indicator.

Details

Journal of Quality in Maintenance Engineering, vol. 17 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1355-2511

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Article
Publication date: 1 October 2002

Stephen F. Owens and Reuven R. Levary

A model of an electronic data interchange (EDI) enabled ingredient supply chain for a food processing company was developed, the model was simulated and its performance was…

2347

Abstract

A model of an electronic data interchange (EDI) enabled ingredient supply chain for a food processing company was developed, the model was simulated and its performance was compared with a simulation model of the current ingredient supply chain process of a US food processing company. The simulation results indicated that an EDI enabled system, which removed many of the time delays associated with the current process, significantly reduced swings in raw materials inventory and allowed significant reductions in raw materials safety stock without increasing the risk of production delays due to out‐of‐stock ingredients.

Details

Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, vol. 7 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1359-8546

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