Date of Defense

4-17-2018

Date of Graduation

4-2018

Department

Industrial and Entrepreneurial Engineering and Engineering Management

First Advisor

Bob White

Second Advisor

Azim Houshyar

Third Advisor

Dana Hammond

Abstract

The packing rate of a high demand exhaust shield was below the anticipated rate when the part was originally quoted. Therefore, the packing process at a distribution center was investigated using simulation, cost benefit analysis, and facility planning to develop the most cost-effective solution.

The team focused on improving the pack process for a heat shield. The parts come off the press wet, therefore, they have to dry before being sent to the customer. Further, a piece of Kraft paper is required, by the customer, to be placed in between each part to prevent scratching. The project objectives were to achieve a packaging rate of 1,000 parts per hour, determine the cost of packing the heat shields, add visibility to the pack operation, and alleviate the ergonomic issues from the pack operation. The project consisted of analyzing the baseline scenario, developing new concept ideas to remove all non-value-added operations, introducing a new Kanban system, simulating packing the parts both at the USDC and at the end of the press to reach a desired pack rate of 1,000 parts per hour.

The team researched different solutions to increase the packaging rate, such as packing the parts at the end of the press with the Kraft paper, changing the Kraft paper to a new waterproof material, and implementing an internal Kanban system. Simulations of the packaging operation with Kraft paper placed at the press instead of the distribution center were preformed to analyze potential solutions. From the simulations, there was an overall labor reduction for the simulations performed. The analysis resulted in recommendations to achieve higher pack rates, development of a comprehensive packaging cost model and improvements in ergonomics of the workstation.

Access Setting

Honors Thesis-Restricted

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