Nissan Motor Manufacturing UK's Sunderland plant has
usedsimulation
softwareto boost production of the Qashqai
off-road vehicle by 20% after higher than expected
sales.
The plant used the optimisation module of its
Witness simulation software from Lanner Group to analyse
production processes and identify ways of speeding up the
plant.
"We used the software to simulate the billion different ways the
production line could be set up and identify what changes we had to
make to achieve the most efficient configuration of equipment and
interaction between humans and machines," said Anthony Timmiss, an
industrial engineer at Nissan.
The software, which runs on a standard PC, models every element
of the production process, including robots, transport equipment
and people, to identify any inefficiencies and bottlenecks.
Nissan boosted production by 2,900 vehicles a month by adding
robotic
assembly equipment, boosting the speed of existing robots, and
employing an extra 180 people.
Nissan originally used the simulation software to identify the
best plant to manufacture the Qashqai. It chose Sunderland in 2006
because it was able to offer the best quality, cost and delivery
out of five other manufacturing plants in Spain and Japan.
"Simulation is effective because it is visual, interactive,
takes variability into account, and enables users to see and
understand why certain results are achieved with different
processes and machinery," said Timmiss.
The software allowed Nissan to conduct hundreds of experiments
to identify the best production line configuration, he said.
"Being able to test and improve processes without interrupting
production saves the company tens of thousands of pounds a year,"
said Timmiss.
Timmis is using the Witness software to refine production line
designs for a
new Nissan
manufacturing plant to be built in St Petersburg, Russia. "We
have been able to make several improvements to the design even
before it is built," he said.