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Increasing capacity utilization of the testing department of Apollo Vredestein B.V.

Jongh, P. de (2011) Increasing capacity utilization of the testing department of Apollo Vredestein B.V.

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Abstract:This master thesis provides recommendations to increase the capacity utilization at the Uniformity department of Apollo Vredestein B.V. This department is responsible for measuring the quality of the produced passenger car tires (PCTs) and is highly complex due to a dynamic Quality Control System and a varying flow of tires. The motivation for this research arises from seasonal peak production periods, an increase in production volume, and the drive for increasing efficiency. When not using the capacity in a more efficient way, major investments are required. To meet the internal determined target for the year 2012, capacity utilization needs to be increased. To increase capacity utilization, in this report we investigate the effective use of the measuring machines. This shows that the measuring machines are idle for about 30%. Due to setups and supply, the machines are idle for about 11% because of 1) inefficient machine design and 2) negative operator and truck driver influence. The remaining idle time is caused by machine failures, lunch breaks, operator unavailability, and changing shifts. Also, we identified the main disturbing factors influencing the capacity utilization. The following root causes of these factors have been identified: lack of well-defined Key Performance Indicators, lack of proper scheduling, high negative operator influence (due to limited amount of operators and lack of expertise), and inefficient machine design regarding setups and supply. The challenge for the year 2012 is to increase capacity utilization for the uniformity machines by about 10% and for the X-ray machines by about 20%. To bridge this performance gap, we recommend implementing the following solutions: - Reduce idle time during setups and supply by both technical and organizational measures - Provide a dynamic scheduling component, taking care of uncertainty and complexity - Develop well-defined Key Performance Indicators to provide insight into performance - Reduce machine failures by providing a robust solution for the conveyor belt - Temporarily increase the amount of workforce - Provide training by introducing ‘best practices’ to increase operator expertise This selection is based upon the criteria: improvement potential, costs, ease of acceptation, and implementation speed. If all of the solutions above are implemented successfully, the existing performance gap will be bridged.
Item Type:Essay (Master)
Clients:
Apollo Vredestein B.V., Enschede, the Netherlands
Faculty:BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences
Subject:85 business administration, organizational science
Programme:Industrial Engineering and Management MSc (60029)
Link to this item:https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/62396
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