Análise de produtividade em uma fundição à luz do lean manufacturing com o suporte da simulação computacional por eventos discretos

Abstract

The foundry sector faces the problematic situation of direct competition from the Chinese market that offers low-cost products and manufacturing capacity for high volumes. Therefore, companies operating in the foundry sector need to continually seek alternatives to reduce costs; improve performance; have efficient product management; lean production; and increase productivity to become competitive, compared to Chinese companies, which is a complex task and requires the adoption of strategies to change this scenario, as also occurs in the company analyzed here. In this context, this study aims to identify how to increase productivity in the fusion area of a foundry company in the light of Lean Manufacturing supported by discrete events simulation. To reach the objective, the following were used: the hypothetical deductive method; quantitative applied research, the single and holistic case study method; and hard modeling using the discrete events simulation method. For data collection, the observation method was used and data analysis was configured as a descriptive analysis. The results generated through the combined application of discrete events simulation in conjunction with the LM tools – Kaizen and VSM – were: reduction in ingot generation; decrease in melting time (Scenario 3 simulated) generating increased productivity; reduction in the volume of stock needed in the mill due to the change of layout in the tap painting leading to a reduction in lead time according to future VSM.