Deterministic simulation and graphical representation of powered material handling vehicle movements to enhance pedestrian safety at the Ford Motor company

M. Higgins, J. Ladbrook, G. Khalwadekar and M. Osman

Journal of Simulation, 2020, vol. 14, issue 2, 119-129

Abstract: A deterministic Material Flow Analysis (MFA) simulation tool has been developed within Microsoft Excel allowing the user to simply and quickly enter relevant material and logistics data. This data is then processed mathematically stepping through time in user-specified intervals assessing stock levels and vehicle status. The monitoring of the material flow in this manner provides data resolution that has not been achievable within Ford prior to the use of simulation. A further extension was developed enabling effective communication of safety-critical simulation output to be presented diagrammatically as a “Material Flow Heat Map”. Preliminary implementation has shown the tool is effective at both confirming expected and highlighting new, high-traffic hotspots in the plant. Through the development and implementation of these methods, the movement of vehicles is better understood allowing targeted engineering actions to improve productivity and enhance pedestrian safety for both existing and proposed future facilities.

Date: 2020
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://hdl.handle.net/10.1080/17477778.2019.1704635 (text/html)
Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:taf:tjsmxx:v:14:y:2020:i:2:p:119-129

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.tandfonline.com/pricing/journal/tjsm20

DOI: 10.1080/17477778.2019.1704635

Access Statistics for this article

Journal of Simulation is currently edited by Christine Currie

More articles in Journal of Simulation from Taylor & Francis Journals
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Chris Longhurst ().