Development of a Pull Production Control Method for ETO Companies and Simulation for the Metallurgical Industry

Abstract

At the moment, many engineer-to-order manufacturers are under pressure, the overcapacity in many sectors erodes prices and many companies, especially in Europe have gone into recent years in bankruptcy. Due to the increasing competition as well as the new customer requirements, the internal processes of an ETO company play an essential role in order to achieve a unique selling proposition (USP). Therefore this paper exposes how the production planning and control of an engineer-to-order manufacturer can be designed in order to increase its OTD (order-to-delivery) rate as well as decrease the WIP (work-in-progress) and the production lead times. To prove the optimized planning logic, it was applied in a simulation case study and based on the results; the conclusions about its potential are derived.

A decade of engineering-to-order (2010–2020): Progress and emerging themes

“…Planning and control techniques 24 (Adrodegari et al, 2015;Ahmadian et al, 2016;Alfieri et al, 2011;Bortolini et al, 2019;Carvalho et al, 2017Carvalho et al, , 2016Carvalho et al, , 2015Dal Borgo and Meneghetti, 2019;Ghiyasinasab et al, 2020;Grabenstetter and Usher, 2014Jiang and Xi, 2019;Kim et al, 2020;Medini, 2015;Mourtzis et al, 2016;Nam et al, 2018;Pacagnella et al, 2019;Poeschl et al, 2019;Riezebos, 2010;Sjøbakk et al, 2015;Telles et al, 2019;Wesz et al, 2018;Yang, 2013) 7 (Bataglin et al, 2020;Cannas et al, 2018;Dallasega et al, 2018;Gejo García et al, 2020;Mahmood et al, 2018;Villar-Fidalgo et al, 2019) 31 Uncertainty/risk management 2012; Reid et al, 2019;Shen et al, 2011;Shurrab et al, 2020aShurrab et al, , 2020bSylla et al, 2020) Industry 4.0 10 ( Dallasega, 2018;Fox and Do, 2013;Kozjek et al, 2020;Oettmeier and Hofmann, 2016;…”

Lean Maturity Assessment in ETO Scenario

“…From mass production to mass customization, the growing degree of personalization in production has focused efforts on selling margins, rather than on volume. This results in efficiency loss, which is unacceptable in highly competitive global markets [29]. This is a contributing factor to the growing interest in lean methods and tools in ETO organizations [29][30][31].…”

“…This results in efficiency loss, which is unacceptable in highly competitive global markets [29]. This is a contributing factor to the growing interest in lean methods and tools in ETO organizations [29][30][31]. However, some barriers in the implementation of lean practices in an ETO scenario remain [32].…”

Productivity Improvement through Reengineering and Simulation: A Case Study in a Footwear-Industry

“…One way to do this is through simulation, since you have access to modify different input variables, while analyzing different parameters such as productivity, use of resources, along with others, and deciding on the best strategy. Simulation performance indicators are necessary to carry out the analysis [17]. The simulation also provides a graphical way of understanding the process flow, which is easily followed by the end user.…”