A Simulation-Based Approach for Line Balancing Under Demand Uncertainty in Production Environment

The management of the production line is a challenging task due to the high level of uncertainty in demand, which can lead to unbalanced utilization of resources. This may result in a potential deterioration of management satisfaction in terms of cost-effectiveness. Therefore, it requires efficient tools to optimize resource utilization. With such inherent needs, this paper presents a simulation-based decision support framework for garments industries. The Discrete Event Simulation (DES) is used to model different scenarios for the operational processes. The procedure focuses on the line balancing technique, which aims to eliminate bottlenecks and optimize the production process by balancing the workload. The results of this study demonstrate the effectiveness of the line balancing technique in improving line efficiency, reducing the idle time of the operators, and increasing productivity. The simulation was developed using AnyLogic simulation software. The outcome of the process is thoroughly evaluated and justified using a case study.