Simulation-based performance evaluation of a manufacturing facility with vertical as/rs

Klein Mechanisch Werkplaats Eindhoven (KMWE) is a precision manufacturing company situated in the Netherlands and recently relocated to a new location known as the ‘Brainport Industries Campus’ (BIC). This move allowed KMWE to improve the performance of its manufacturing facility known as the ‘Tool
Service Center’ (TSC) by investing in vertical automated storage and retrieval systems (AS/RSs). However, these decisions needed to be made under input uncertainties since the move to BIC and modernization of existing equipment would cause changes in operating parameters inside the facility, over which little information was known in advance. In this study, we show how hybrid simulation modelling was used to assess the impact of input uncertainties (such as operator productivity, vertical storage height) on the throughput performance of TSC. Ultimately, the outcomes of this research project were used by KMWE to make an investment decision on new equipment acquisition quantity.