MODELING AND ANALYSIS OF WEAVING-PREPARATION SYSTEMS WITH RESPECT TO SMALL-LOT MANUFACTURING .2. ANALYSIS OF CANDIDATE SYSTEMS

In Part I of this work, a framework for the design of efficient small- lot weaving-preparation systems was presented, The design objective wa s to specify the lowest-cost system that will meet the desired product ion goals for a given product mix. A key element of this framework is the analysis engine, which evaluates the performance of candidate syst ems In the light of production targets and generates information about the direction in which to evolve the design, In this work, it is show n that simulation methodologies and sensitivity analysis can be used t o perform the analysis-engine function, Two candidate systems represen ting possible points in the over-all design space are evaluated to det ermine if one has an advantage in producing small lots, In addition, i nformation gained from the analysis procedures can be used to point to further improvements in system performance for a relatively small inc rease in capital expenditure.