Manufacturing Simulation Model

Overview

Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company providing equipment and services to over fifty countries around the world. Their business is split into four mission areas: Aeronautics, Missiles and Fire Control (MFC), Rotary and Mission Systems, and Space. For this project, Lockheed Martin’s MFC Site in Archbald, PA wanted a Simio simulation model developed for their metal fabrication building. Here, bottlenecks are being expereinced during the fabrication of parts, which is leading to products being overdue and decreasing the facilities overall output.

Objectives

1. To develop a simulation model using the Simio software to accurately represents the metal fabrication building
2. Identify and quantify bottlenecks and capacity constraints occuring at the site during production
3. Recommend and implement solutions to the site and quantify the improvements that would be seen

Approach

Simulation Model Development:
The final model delivered by the team was the process of continuous development in three different stages. The first stage was the team’s alpha prototype, which included the layout of all of the work centers within the metal fabrication building. Building off this model, the team developed a beta prototype of previous part production. This model included data of previously produced parts with the goal of validating the team’s model to an existing one. Finally, building off the beta prototype, the last stage was the final model. This model simulated 2024 part production at the facility, and included part priority and workers needed for processing.

Identifying and Quantifying Bottlenecks:
Output data from the final model was exported into Microsoft Excel and was analyzed for the following Key Performance Indicators (KPIs): time-in-system, machine/station utilization, queue time per station, past due hours of parts, and throughput of parts.

Recommending and Implementing Solutions:
The goal of identifying these constraints was to find solutions and improvements to the overall system. This was accomplished, with the team recommending the rerouting of parts to existing work centers or recommending the addition of entirely new work centers to relieve some of the bottlenecking.

Outcomes

An accurate simulation model of the metal fabrication building was developed in Simio and delivered to the site. Along with this, an analysis of future part proudction was completed and provided. Finally, both inexpensive and expensive solutions were tested and recommended.

From the team’s solutions incorperated into the model, the KPIs were affected in the following way:
– Average utilization at work centers decreased by 5.5%
– Average queue times at work centers decreased by 34%
– Average time-in-system for parts decreased by 14%
– Total past due hours decreased by 16%
– Total number of parts finishing increased by 4%