This paper describes the application of dynamic simulation to evaluate material handling resource utilization for a stamping plant in the automotive industry. The other objective of this study was evaluation of throughput relative to press schedules, shift patterns, the number of material handling resources (i.e. fork truck and tugger train drivers), and storage inventory levels. This dynamic simulation study enabled plant managers to balance the driver utilization with respect to time and to accommodate typical press schedules to achieve desired throughput levels.

We describe the application of discrete-process simulation to identify and quantitatively evaluate process improvement opportunities within a manufacturing system. Simulation has proved itself a valuable, powerful tool for manufacturing process improvement due to its ability to analyze the many subsystems (e.g., material handling, scheduling, in-process storage, and value-adding machining operations) concurrently. Additionally, the use of simulation provides valuable support to the use of analytical methods which search for global, not local, optimum process configuration and operating policy.