Production Planning for Setup Resource Allocation and Waiting Time
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing production planning technologies do not adequately consider setup steps, leading to potential delays due to the absence of necessary resources at process steps, resulting in inefficiencies in production schedules.
Innovation Solution
A production planning apparatus that allocates resources to setup steps across process steps to minimize total required times, utilizing available resources such as automated guided vehicles (AGVs) for transport, and optimizing resource allocation based on transport times and available resources.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If setup steps are not taken into consideration in production planning, then production facilities can be operated based on standard times and actual work times, but necessary articles may not be present at work places, resulting in delays
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by performing setup steps (transporting articles, positioning apparatuses) before the actual work steps begin. The production plan explicitly schedules setup activities to ensure necessary articles and equipment are in place at work places before production operations start, preventing delays caused by missing resources.
2Loss of time
If resources are allocated to setup steps, then waiting times are reduced, but resource allocation complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the production plan into distinct work steps and setup steps. Each step is independently scheduled with its own resource allocation, allowing precise control over when and how resources are assigned to setup activities versus production activities, thereby reducing waiting times without overwhelming complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
By scheduling setup steps preliminarily before work steps, the system ensures resources are allocated in advance for transportation and positioning activities. This preliminary resource allocation eliminates waiting time during actual production while maintaining manageable complexity through structured planning.
3Reliability
If setup steps are included in production planning, then resource availability is ensured, but total required time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent schedules setup steps to occur preliminarily before work steps begin, ensuring resources are ready in advance. By consolidating setup activities at the beginning of each production cycle rather than interrupting work flow, the system ensures resource availability while minimizing the impact on total production time.
Solution Approach 2:
The production plan maintains continuity of useful action by overlapping setup activities with transportation movements and positioning operations. While setup is being performed, other resources continue their productive activities, ensuring resource availability without adding significant downtime to the overall process.
Data Source
AI summary
The production planning apparatus includes a memory configured to store, with respect to each of a plurality of process steps included in a production process for producing predetermined articles, the number of resources for setup step that are available for a setup step in which setup for performing work of the process step is performed and a processor configured to determine, on the basis of the number of the resources for setup step, among the resources for setup step, resources that are allocated to the setup steps of respective ones of the plurality of process steps in such a way that a total of required times required for the setup steps of respective ones of the plurality of process steps is minimized.