Audi: Assembly Lines, Processes, and Simulation

1
Audi Assembly Lines, Processes, and Simulation

• Objective Building Cars to Specs / Every car
  made on demand
• Specs could be dimensions (by model, by body
  style, by drivetrain, by engine type, by color,
  etc.) / how many?
• Keep assembly line moving
• Avoid Bottlenecks
• Avoid Delays

2
Delays Caused By

• Lack of Needed Materials
• Inability to Contact Customers (suggest
  substitution or upgrade)
• Need to Coordinate Self-managing work crews,
  suppliers, transporters, labor unions, and chains
  of command

3
Simulate Actual Production

• Need to Know Processes and Order
• Need to Know Input to Processes (both materials
  and labor)
• Then Need to Know Desired Outputs
• Run Simulation as a Virtual Representation of
  Reality
• Conduct Line Performance Analysis

4
Reaction to Simulation

• Pull Cars From Line (50 gallons of crème paint
  meant), Slow Down/Delay Production, Speed Up
• Change Labor Distribution
• Contact Customers if Needed or Allow Them to Pull
  Info/Track (just like packages)
• Corrective Actions thru Communication

5
Audis Solution Required

• Operations data mart/over 50 dimensions and
  hundreds of measurements
• Database engine
• Front-end analysis software
• ETL (Data Transformation Services)
• Both operational/day-to-day AND long-term
  analysis needs

6
Future Plans (p. 72)

• Planned Results vs Actual Results to use Feedback
  to Change System (Both processes and inputs)
• Measure variances and uncover trends
• Added power in the marketplace with greater
  efficiency through better intelligence

7
Learning?

• Application of all concepts from data marts to
  front-end tools to increased trust through
  improved communication
• Benefits for customers, suppliers, workers,
  unions, government, through better efficiency and
  effectiveness
• Application to all assembly lines