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A simulation based study for capacity management of a mobile phone refurbishment plant
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Insinööritieteiden korkeakoulu |
Master's thesis
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en
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74
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The research project titled "A Simulation Based Study for Capacity Management of a Mobile Phone Refurbishment Plant" explores the potential of using a simulation model to improve the capacity management process of a mobile phone refurbishment facility and model capability of describing the future depending on various boundary conditions. After conducting a detailed background study on the application of simulation models in various industries, a detailed simulation model was developed using AnyLogic Personal Learning Edition to replicate the operational dynamics of the plant. The developed model consisted of all the processes in this facility along with the manufacturing performance data extracted from statistical analysis done on historical data.
To verify the model accuracy, the simulation model output data was compared to the actual system historical data. Eleven performance parameters (5 parameters from the process outputs, 5 parameters for process queues and 1 parameter from throughput time) were used for comparisons and different parameters showed different deviations from the actual values. It was observed that only 2 parameter outputs were off by a range of 15% to 20%. The mean absolute error only for the queues was 10.55% and it was only 9.04% for the process output values. This claimed an accuracy of approximately 89% for queues and 91% for output values, indicating a high level of reliability in predicting the future states of the system.
After verifying the model, two what- if scenario analyses were conducted to demonstrate the model behavior under different situations or boundary conditions. Results derived from these sensitivity analyses were in agreement with theoretically expected outcomes. These observations proved that this model would be an intermediate level tool for assisting the capacity management of this facility with many opportunities for continuous improvements to achieve more accurate results. It is worth mentioning that, in the overall process of this facility, the human factor plays a vital role and it would be one of the key areas to be focused on in terms of continuous improvements for the base model developed.