A Simulation-Based Optimization Methodology for Facility Layout Design in Manufacturing

Optimizing production systems is urgent and indispensable if companies are to cope with global competition and a move from mass production to mass customization. The urgency of this need is more obvious in old production plants with a history of modifications, expansions, and adaptations in their production facilities. It is common to find complex, intricate and inefficient systems of material and product flows as a result of poor production facility layout. Several approaches can be used to support the design of optimal facility layouts. However, there is a lack of a suitable generic methodology for designing such layouts. Additionally, there has been little focus on the data and resources required, or on how simulation and optimization can support the design of optimal facilities. To overcome these deficiencies, this paper studies the integration of simulation and optimization for the design and improvement of facility layouts taking into account production and logistics constraints. The paper includes a generic perspective and a detailed implementation. The proposed methodology is evaluated in two case studies and by drawing on the principles and tools of the functional resonance analysis method. This method analyzes the implementation order and variability of a group of processes that can lead to unwanted outcomes. The results can provide managers and other stakeholders with a methodology that adequately considers production and logistics constraints when seeking an optimized facility layout design.