Simulation of production line balancing in apparel manufacturing

To focus on the labour-intensive structure of apparel manufacturing, a sweatshirt sewing line was chosen. To minimise the labour-intensity, the line was balanced using the simulation technique. Firstly, detailed work and time studies were performed along the line. Secondly, to set up a model of the line by simulation, real data taken from a factory floor was tested for distribution fit and a Kolmogrov-Smirnov test conducted for goodness of fit. The data gathered was then transformed into a simulation model. After verification of the model by comparing it with the actual system, bottlenecks in the production line were determined and possible scenarios were tried by various what-if analyses to eliminate the bottlenecks and to suggest decision alternatives to manufacturers. To set up the model, an Enterprise Dynamics simulation program was used.