Analysis of Modular Manufacturing System in Clothing Industry by Using Simulation

n Introduction Due to higher standards of living and rapidly changing fashion trends, clothing manufacturers have encountered unexpected demands and diversity. In order to respond as fast as possible to model and quantity changes and to produce high-quality, low-cost products, the manufacturers are favouring new production systems which are based on JIT. Because of its flexibility and simplicity, modular manufacturing has begun to be implemented in some organisations. The American Apparel Manufacturing Association has defined modular manufacturing as " a contained manageable work unit of 5 to 17 people performing a measurable task. The operators are interchangeable among tasks within the group to the extent practical and incentive compensation is based on the team's output of first quality output " [1]. In a modular system , processes are grouped into a module instead of being divided into their smallest components. As a rule, fewer numbers of multi-functional operators work on the machines which are arranged in a U-line. All the operators in the group are responsible for the quality of each item that are produced in the line. The system works when a problem of quality is reached; the operators in the group have to coordinate their quality work, which leads to an increase in quality. The modular system works on the principle of pull-type production systems, in which the job order comes from the last step to previous steps. Because of this, the amount of work in process is low, even working when no inventory is possible. The modular system was first implemented at Toyota in 1978 as part of JIT, and was known in the 1980s in the West as the Toyota Sewing System. Monden gave this system a U-turn layout and claimed that the main advantage of that system was that the amount produced can easily be arranged by changing the number of operators working in the system [2]. Gilbert showed that the main advantage of the system was the low amount of the work in process [3]. In 1990, Kuler & Dewitt reached encouraging results, and claimed that it was possible to produce quality products at much lower costs. They also determined that the throughput time of the products in the system was much shorter than in conventional systems. Furthermore, the system was quite resistant to worker turnover [4]. When the working principles of the systems in literature are analysed, it is seen that various researchers …