System Dynamics as a Decision Support System for Machine Tool Selection

The worldwide competitive economy, the increase in sustainable issue and investment of new production line is demanding companies to choose the right machine from the available ones. An improper selection can negatively affect the overall performance of the manufacturing system like productivity, quality, cost and company’s responsive manufacturing capabilities. Thus, selecting the right machine is desirable and substantial for the company to sustain competitive in the market. The ultimate objective of this paper is to formulate a framework for machining strategy and also provide methodology for selecting machine tool from two special purpose machine tools in consideration of interaction of attributes. A decision support system for the selection of machine tool is developed. It evaluates the performance of the machining process and enhances the manufacturer (decision maker) to select the machine with respect to the performance and the pre-chosen criteria. Case study was conducted in a manufacturing company. A system dynamics modelling and simulation techniques is demonstrated towards efficient selection of machine tool that satisfy the future requirement of engine-block production.