A simulation and comparative study of the CONWIP, Kanban and MRP production control systems in a cold rolling plant

Abstract

Effective production control systems are important for any manufacturing plant. In order to obtain effective production control, several different production control systems have been proposed. MRP, Kanban and CONWIP are the most popular systems among these. In this paper, a simulation analysis compares the three control systems implemented in a semi-continuous manufacturing environment: a cold rolling plant. Simulation results show usthat the CONWIP production control system is the most efficient of these. It can greatly decrease the WIP(Work-In-Process), average inventory and average inventory costs, while providing a higher throughput rate and facility utilization. Keywords: Production Control SystemConwipKanbanMrpSimulation