Study and analysis of production dynamics with designed experimentation: sizing of a pull drum line supermarket

To implement the strategy of the continuous flow process the goal is to aim to "Interdependent connected Processes" adopting the Pull System methodology in the Just in Time production environment. This logic is an ideal to tend, in which each individual operation is carried out only if necessary and if requested by next operation, in order to avoid overproduction, which is the worst waste. This logic brings to a "pure" Pull System that is where the process is triggered by the customer request, going backward steps along the upstream up to raw materials supply. Pure Pull Systems are possible in theory but are very rare in practice. For example in manufacturing production situations in which the order is completed by forecasts sales at least at the beginning (push/pull systems) are most common. These production systems therefore represent a model of operational excellence, which represents a target for PUSH systems. You want to produce a single piece at time, transferring it from a process to the next without waits. But process “links” means reducing the lead time and waits, getting to a flow that extends itself as the process reliability improves and waiting times such as set – up decrease. There are, however, areas where the flow is not practically possible, for example because numerous set-ups are needed or because "providers" do not send one piece at a time, working in batches. In this case you can control production implementing Pull/Push interfaces. A first solution is a system based on kanban that reintegrate a downstream station, known as "supermarket pull", where the continuous flow is interrupted and the process upstream works in batches according to a "pattern production", with a production managed by a wheel system, that is with a sequence set by the same upstream department and it is based upon a yearly model forecast of production suitably agreed among Marketing, Development and Production. The creation of the model, its verification and its validation are explained in order to give an overview of the utilized model for further investigations.