SIMULATION MODELING OF PRODUCTION LINES: A CASE STUDY OF CEMENT PRODUCTION LINE

Modeling and simulation of production lines is considered to be important for designers who are interested in: Work-load Allocation Problem (WAP), Server Allocation Problem (SAP), and Buffer Allocation Problem (BAP). This paper studies and analyzes a real cement production line as a case study. A simulation model is developed by ARENA software and used to analyze and test several bottlenecks that are causing severe congestions in different areas on the production line and could resolve all of these bottlenecks. Workstation failure data is collected along one year to obtain the machines failure behaviors. This paper searches for the optimum buffer sizes with the increase of the production rate. An actual cement production line is studied and analyzed by the simulation model from stem to stern. After a simulation replication time of 12 days, a simulation results show the line bottlenecks, workstations utilization, buffer capacities and the line production rate. To resolve the bottlenecks, a redesign of allocation of buffers which verify an optimum size could be made and it might be taken into consideration when designers implement this line. Finally modified optimum workstations utilization, buffer capacities and the line production rate with an increase about more than 15% of the production rate and economizing of 34 % of buffer capacities.