Just-in-time manufacturing simulation: A comparison of JIT production and traditional processes in kitchen cabinet manufacturin

A simulation study was carried out in a kitchen cabinet production process in order to assess the feasibility of implementing Just-in-Time concepts in kitchen cabinet manufacturing.;The production process selected for this study was capable of producing seven categories of cabinets. A total of 22 workstations were involved in the production of 56 distinct cabinet parts.;Simulation results for three different manufacturing designs were analyzed. The first design consisted of implementing a Just-in-Time production process in the machining and the assembly area. The second design implemented Just-in-Time production in the machining area, and a traditional production in the assembly process. Finally, the third design implemented traditional manufacturing in both the machining and the assembly areas.;An analysis of performance results indicated that a Just-in-Time manufacturing system, when implemented in the kitchen cabinet production process, has a performance advantage over a Traditional manufacturing process. This means that a Just-in-Time production process significantly reduces inventory of cabinet parts, improves productivity throughput indexes, reduces cycle time, reduced the number of machines necessary to meet production requirements, and reduces the level of scrap.;Results also indicated that reductions in setup time when Just-in-Time is impLemented lead to increased equipment capacity and flexibility in production operations.;Finally, the study suggested that variations in process time of up to 30% do not cause any negative effect in the production system.