Unilever (Wish-bone and Lawry's)
Over the course of a long partnership with Unilever's in-house industrial engineers, NovaSim has developed multiple discrete event simulation models to help optimize production performance.
Project Objectives
- Determine whether the ingredient preparation system could keep up with increased production, while considering the handling of Kosher ingredients
- Create efficient production schedules to meet demand while minimizing losses due to changeovers and equipment availability contraints
- Manage dedicated equipment while simultaneously meeting all product demands
- Coordinate the batch production and the complex system of ingredient scales with fork lift delivery, pumps, mixers, and packaging lines
Model Elements
- Daily production shedules
- Base formulas with multiple packaging operations for a wide number of products
- Complex changeover requirements
- Traveling labor requirments
- Kanban based production system
- Mixing of both dry and wet ingredients
- Complex process times for each product and each process step including materials handling, equipment, and labor
- Careful management of Kosher product constraints
- 6 different production technolgies ranging from dry blend only to colloid mills