Continuous improvement project: filter manufacturing department at BAT in Heidelberg

Abstract

Production industries are subject to the ebb and flow of demand and supply fluctuations, with an increase in a product’s demand driving up the supplier’s production. At BAT’s factory in Heidelberg, the filter manufacturing department is currently operating at nothing more than 75% efficiency, and is the bottleneck in BAT’s production process. If BAT plans to keep up with the increase in consumer demand, improvement is needed. To achieve a more acceptable production efficiency of about 85 to 95%, blockages hindering filter supply need to be minimised, changeover times reduced, and waste production needs to be kept to a minimal. The only way to achieve this objective would be to analyse the current layout, identify its flaws and areas of improvement, and then implement a new layout that would improve the department’s performance and complement future objectives. With the aid of simulation models, information is retrieved to determine the extent of improvements the proposed layout will be able to provide. The freed up floor space created by the proposed layout design will also be looked at to determine its best possible use. The information gathered from the simulations as well as the available floor space will provide a clear indication of the viability of the proposed layout.