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Sim Technologies Corporation Case Studies
TYCO INTERNATIONAL
Annual Labor Savings of $335,000.
Company: Tyco/AMP Incorporated – Electrical Connector Manufacturerd
Product Used: Capacity Planning and Scheduling System
Objectives: Determine the requirements to increase Earned Hours / Total Hours worked by 20% for 4 plating lines at the Hamilton Street Plating Process facility.
Results: The existing process required 3 dedicated operators for each plating line. STC developed computer models of the existing process lines and identified the solution necessary to achieve the current and forecasted production requirements with fewer operators. The model indicated that the production requirements could be achieved by dedicating 1 operator for each plating line and using 5 floating operators to support any of the 4 plating lines. This resulted in an annual Labor Savings of $335,000.
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We are proud here at SIM Technologies of the client base we have established throughout the years. Please view some of our clients and what kind of work they do and the software they used. SIM Technologies takes pride in the wide varity of clients. Showing just about any type of company can use this software to help increase the margin of profit and decrease the amount of expenses.
DAIMLER CHRYSLER
Savings Of Over $16 Million And More Than 400,000 Square Feet.
Company: Daimler-Chrysler Corporation – Automotive Manufacturer
Product Used: Custom System Package
Objectives: Created a digital simulation model that was used to assist in production planning. The model was used to determine; Machinery Requirements, Machinery Utilization, Rack Requirements, Rack Storage Space Requirements and Potential Cost and Floor Space Savings.
Results: An existing manufacturing process was already in place to produce metal stampings. The production requirements were going to increase. The initial project modeled the current machinery running existing part requirements to determine line utilization percentages so a comparison analysis could be run for production increases for model year. Next, the model was used to produce a Rack requirement analysis comparing current plus increased production rates. The model was then used to determine the correct number of Racks and Floor Space requirements necessary to meet production requirements. The model clearly indicated that a proliferation of existing handling racks was not required to satisfy the new production requirements and in fact, an excess number of racks occupying expensive floor space could be recovered at a savings of over $16 million and more than 400,000 square feet.
Results: An existing manufacturing process was already in place to produce differential cases. The production requirements were going to increase by 50%. The initial proposal included the duplication of the existing process to accommodate the increase in production. A computer simulation model was built of the proposed system. The model clearly indicated that a duplication of the existing process was not required to satisfy the new production requirements. The major impact of this work effort was the avoidance of unnecessary cost for a direct duplication of the current system, which was in excess of $2 million.
DEERE AND COMPANY
Used As An Operation And Scheduling Tool For The Plant Employees.
Company: Deere and Company – Agricultural Equipment Manufacturer
Product Used: Custom System Package
Objectives: Create a computer simulation model of a new Paint Line System prior to construction and installation in order to define the following parameters:
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Conveyor system logic
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Optimum number of load spurs
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Paint process purge strategy
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Required length of cooling conveyors
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Sizing of storage areas during normal operation and purge cycles
Results: The system simulations were performed before actual installation in the plant. This allowed the system designs to be optimized, the operating strategies to be defined in advance and saved considerable amount of time, money, and bad surprises during the startup phases. The animated models were used first as a communication tool between Deere and the system contractors. After the installation of the system, the computer simulation and animations were used as an operation and scheduling tool for the plant employees.
KIMBALL/HARPERS
Rework Reduced To Approximatly 18%.
Company: Kimball/Harpers – Office Furniture Manufacturer
Product Used: Custom System Package
Objectives: Develop a computer simulation model of a new Automated Electrostatic Paint Line System to identify cost effective methods to improve throughput capability to determine if a rate of 90 carriers per hour could be achieved.
Results: Before modeling for improvements, the current rate for carriers per hour was 46. Color change rates were in excess of 700 per 8-hour day. Rework was planned at approximately 30 percent. After building the model to establish the “baseline” process, a scheduling methodology was created and tested for a prime shift period. The results produced a minimum of 54 carriers/hr. with a maximum of 103 carriers/hr. and an average of 78 carriers per hour. There were 445 color changes and rework reduced to approximately 18 percent.
PHB
Eliminated In Excess Of $750,000 In Capital Investment
Company: PHB, Inc. – Contract Manufacturer
Product Used: Flexible Manufacturing Simulation System
Objectives: Determine optimum system configuration which would result in the most cost effective solution to meet the production requirements.
Results: 6 Palletech System configurations were evaluated based on the following:
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Total Process Time
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Machine Center Utilization
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Operator Utilization
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Rail-Guided-Vehicle Utilization
A detailed report was published on the results, findings, and recommendations provided with a high degree of confidence on the expected results. The analysis eliminated in excess of $750,000 in capital investment.
PHILIP MORRIS
No Limit On Scheduling Time Horizon
Company: Philip Morris, U.S.A. – Large Consumer Products Company
Product Used: Capacity Planning and Scheduling System
Objectives: Develop computer tool to:
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Schedule the production operations on a daily basis
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Use for long term capacity planning
Results:
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Prototype scheduling system delivered in 4 months
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Linked to external data bases
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Successfully duplicated weekly schedule in 15 seconds
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Improved current schedule by optimizing total changeover time
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No limit on scheduling time horizon
TRW
Successfully Used To Generate Divisions Five Year Plan...
Company: TRW – Automotive Component Manufacturer
Product Used: Capacity Planning and Scheduling System
Objectives:
Determine the throughput capability and any potential bottleneck areas of a new assembly system used to produce Remote Keyless Entry Systems.
Results:
The existing assembly systems was producing approximately 56% of the required production. This situation was costing TRW hundreds of thousands of dollars on a weekly basis both in penalties and costs. STC developed computer models of the existing system and identified the solutions necessary to achieve a daily production rate of 10,000 units. SIM Technologies Corporation facilitated the implementation of the recommendations and TRW was able to achieve the required rate within a 6-week period without any additional capital investment.
Objectives: Develop software application tool to:
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Import Long Range Planning (LRP) volumes from multiple databases
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Calculate Capacity Planning Volumes (CPV) for each manufacturing facility (8 facilities) to determine the labor, floor space, equipment, and capital requirements by year and quarter
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Use for long term capacity planning
Results:
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Prototype system delivered in 4 months
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Linked to external data bases
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Successfully used to generate divisions five year plan
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Improved accuracy of planning process by establishing a common data base for all operations within division to plan from
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Objectives: Determine the throughput capability and any potential bottleneck areas of a new assembly system used to produce Remote Keyless Entry Systems.
Results: The assembly system (being built in Japan) was modeled. It was determined that the system being built was only capable of producing 60% of the projected production rate. The model identified the problem and solution necessary to achieve the projected rate. The assembly system was modified in Japan prior to successful implementation in the U.S.
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