Collaborative process planning and flow analysis for automotive assembly shops

To maintain competitiveness in the modern automotive market, it is important to carry out process planning concurrently with new car development processes. Process planners need to make decisions concurrently and collaboratively in order to reduce manufacturing preparation time for developing a new car. Automated generation of a simulation model by using the integrated process plan database can reduce time consumed for carrying out a simulation and allow a consistent model to be used throughout. In this research, we developed a web-based system for concurrent and collaborative process planning and flow analysis for an automotive general assembly using web, database, and simulation technology. A single integrated database is designed to automatically generate simulation models from process plans without having to rework the data. This system enables process planners to evaluate their decisions quickly, considering various factors, and easily share their opinions with others. By using this collaborative system, time and cost put into the assembly process planning can be reduced and the reliability of the process plan would be improved.