Ph.D.-Summary

Updated: 2015-11-21

Title of Thesis: A step-by-step implementation model of a computer integrated manufacturing (CIM) system and its analysis using simulation technique

Nowadays, manufacturing organizations in the developing countries are under intense competitive pressures. Major changes are being experienced with respect to resources, markets, manufacturing processes, and product strategies. As result of international competition, only the most productive and cost-effective industries will survive. In this study, a systematic structure for a step-by-step implementation and analysis of a computer integrated manufacturing (CIM) system consisting of various computer-aided systems (CAx) systems is described, where analytic hierarchy process (AHP), simulation and benchmarking techniques are used effectively together. As AHP technique is used for the evaluation and selection of the hardware and software components for a CAx system to be implemented in a company, a simulation generator integrated with this technique is used for further analysis to measure its benefits on company’s modelled production organization. In other words, while the AHP technique, one of the multiple criteria decision making tools helps companies to both select the best alternative and sort the remaining those by weight, as a simulation generator integrated with it is used to model the real-life production organization of a company automatically, which tries the AHP’s ranked alternatives as simulation scenarios on its modelled organization. If the first ranked-alternative as the first scenario does not satisfy to the performance values determined by the company’s management, the second best ranked one is taken into account as the second scenario by following the same way, until reached the alternative satisfying the values required. An AHP software allows also the user to make the AHP’s all complex and time-consuming matrix calculations automatically instead of making them manually, while the generator produces both of the required files for SIMAN simulation language and its results for the user, who does not have further experience on knowledge of simulation, modelling and programming techniques. In final section, this structure was applied to a company, MTE Co., a leading company in Turkey, as a case study in order to prove its applicability on a real-life system. A simulation model representing its product organization was built by using simulation generator in order to determine both what any CAx system would bring to light and how it would affect the performance of the company’s production organization. Simulation model was built thanks to the generator in order to produce both of the SIMAN files. Then, some performance values for each ranked alternative were obtained from the model. Then these values were evaluated relating to the required performance criteria. The process was repeated until reached to the best solution. Generally, some problems were met in the implementing stage of CAD/CAM systems, such as the adoption process of workers and lack of well-educated personnel so on.