Simulation of a milk run material transportation system in the semiconductors industry

Abstract

This paper deals with a project that consisted in the implementation of a Milk Run Lot Transportation System in Qimonda Porto Test Area, done by a multidisciplinary team formed by Qimonda Porto's workers, and the development of the corresponding simulation model. The first part of the study concerns an industrial engineering assessment of the test area, which identified sources of waste and improvement possibilities, and the implementation process of a Milk Run system in this area. Secondly, the results of the system implementation are discussed, and the construction of a simulation model in Arena® is presented. The purpose of the simulation exercise is to test different system configurations that may allow the improvement of the real-world system. Finally, some information about the simulation results and further steps to be taken regarding the improvement of the system is presented. The target of the project, framed in a Lean approach, was to reduce waste, namely transportation waste, thus optimizing the utilization of the test area human resources.