Machine Learning-Based Analysis of a Wind Turbine Manufacturing Operation: A Case Study

Antonio Lorenzo-Espejo, Alejandro Escudero-Santana, María-Luisa Muñoz-Díaz and Alicia Robles-Velasco
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Antonio Lorenzo-Espejo: Departamento de Organización Industrial y Gestión de Empresas II, Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería, Universidad de Sevilla, Cm. de los Descubrimientos, s/n, 41092 Seville, Spain
Alejandro Escudero-Santana: Departamento de Organización Industrial y Gestión de Empresas II, Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería, Universidad de Sevilla, Cm. de los Descubrimientos, s/n, 41092 Seville, Spain
María-Luisa Muñoz-Díaz: Departamento de Organización Industrial y Gestión de Empresas II, Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería, Universidad de Sevilla, Cm. de los Descubrimientos, s/n, 41092 Seville, Spain
Alicia Robles-Velasco: Departamento de Organización Industrial y Gestión de Empresas II, Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería, Universidad de Sevilla, Cm. de los Descubrimientos, s/n, 41092 Seville, Spain

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 13, 1-25

Abstract: This study analyzes the lead time of the bending operation in the wind turbine tower manufacturing process. Since the operation involves a significant amount of employee interaction and the parts processed are heavy and voluminous, there is considerable variability in the recorded lead times. Therefore, a machine learning regression analysis has been applied to the bending process. Two machine learning algorithms have been used: a multivariate Linear Regression and the M5P method. The goal of the analysis is to gain a better understanding of the effect of several factors (technical, organizational, and experience-related) on the bending process times, and to attempt to predict these operation times as a way to increase the planning and controlling capacity of the plant. The inclusion of the experience-related variables serves as a basis for analyzing the impact of age and experience on the time-wise efficiency of workers. The proposed approach has been applied to the case of a Spanish wind turbine tower manufacturer, using data from the operation of its plant gathered between 2018 and 2021. The results show that the trained models have a moderate predictive power. Additionally, as shown by the output of the regression analysis, there are variables that would presumably have a significant impact on lead times that have been found to be non-factors, as well as some variables that generate an unexpected degree of variability.

Keywords: machine learning; regression; process control; wind power; lead time; bending; worker experience (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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