Ashok Ramachandran

Project title: Comparative Analysis of Production Control Systems through Simulation

(Spring 2004)

Abstract

This paper presents a comparative analysis of different production control systems for a complex factory setup through simulation. Batch size, arrival rate, inter-arrival time and maintenance type are the input parameters to the model. Work-in-process (WIP) and throughput (TH) are the system performance measuring parameters. The study shows that a pull system does not outperform a push system with respect to WIP under all conditions. Pull based systems prefer a smaller batch size to better control WIP. All systems give best performance at a specific interarrival time, although it was different for different systems. Preventive maintenance was preferred over repair maintenance in a pull system and a just-in-time system. The study concluded that no single production control system is best under all conditions. The performance of a production control system depends not only on the type of production control system chosen but also on the values of the input parameters. This research shows that it makes no sense to comment on the superiority of one system over another without regard to the value of input parameters and the type of factory setup.