A four-day study helps home building move indoors

By simulating Glaize Components’ new wall panel production line, the authors sought to increase the capacity of this advanced CAD/CAM flexible manufacturing system. Developing the model was complicated by healthy industry skepticism, a short time window, and limited resources. By adhering strictly to a condensed, yet comprehensive project plan and using high quality animation, the project team overcame these barriers. Simulation results suggested that Glaize could increase production line capacity eight percent by resequencing, alternating between interior and exterior panels. Gaining confidence from the simulation results, Glaize tried alternating panels, and it worked. The change has yielded a seven to 10 percent increase in line capacity with minimal increases in capital and labor.