Abstract
When a new manufacturing line is constructed, its production capacity can be substantially affected in its design stage. Computer simulation often provides better design by evaluating feasible alternatives. In this paper we study an automobile engine manufacturing line which is under construction. Three alternatives are considered in the design; (1) to use machining tools of longer life; (2) to reassign the buffer space to each sequential processes while maintaining the same total buffer length; and (3) to reduce the machine repair time to 30 minutes using TPM and maintenance team. Simulation results using AutoMod indicates that employing the three alternatives will save about 1.5 million dollars per year.