Balancing a multistage vehicle number plate production line using effective cycle time model

Abstract

Shortest product cycle time is a key criterion for job sequencing and measuring competitiveness among entrepreneurial-based firms. Now, the long waiting time of job orders constitutes a deterministic production line problem in vehicle number plate production plants in Nigeria. Case studies were conducted on those plants, confidentially identified in this paper as A, B, C, and D. Delays caused by non-value-adding work processes are major culprits among other contributors to the long queues at these plants. The value stream mapping technique was applied to identify non-value adding activities before the production line was balanced using an effective cycle time model. The index cases to a balanced line, as shown in the results, are increases in process rate by 41 %, 59 %, 42 %, and 71 % for A, B, C, and D, respectively, and overall line efficiency. Next, the system capacities correspondingly increased with the elimination of wastages. These increments imply that bottleneck activities have been minimized, and we have a balanced production line. The devised solution procedure is reliable and recommended to other line manufacturing concerns that experience delays and bottleneck problems.

Optimalisasi Keseimbangan Lintasan Produksi Daur Ulang Plastik dengan Pendekatan Ranked Positional Weight

“…Cycle time merupakan merupakan salah satu elemen desain proses yang membantu dalam alokasi stasiun kerja (Nwanya & Achebe, 2020). Semakin pendek waktu siklus maka semakin cepat produk sampai ke konsumen dan ini dianggap sebagai faktor kompetitif dalam suatu perusahaan.…”

Human factors issues at selected workplaces in Nigeria: practice, status and future research needs

“…The sloppy oversight is a critical problem in this COVID-19 era characterized by uncertainty, which further poses a concern to HF/E workplace experts. Uncertainty is a big problem in an organization that affects line balancing and, ultimately, the throughput (Nwanya and Achebe, 2020). This study was further inspired by the need to explore the emerging future of HF/E in the context of the new work order since the COVID-19 pandemic era provided a new impetus for relegating the human component to a negligible level in productive work systems.…”