Smart Production Systems Lab

Production Systems Engineering (PSE) is an emerging area of Engineering intended to provide quantitative analytical methods for analysis, continuous improvement, and design of production systems. Every problem has its origin on the factory floor. Every solution obtained in PSE has been applied on the factory floor. PSE uses traditional terms, such as bottleneck, leanness, continuous improvement, etc., but infuses them with precise engineering knowledge and, thereby, offers a possibility of designing and managing production systems with the highest efficiency and guaranteed performance.

The approach of PSE is based on mathematical modeling of serial lines and assembly systems, with subsequent analyses based on recursive aggregation procedures. As a result, methods for solving the following problems are derived: Performance analysis; Bottleneck identification; Continuous improvement; Lean buffering design; Product quality; Raw material release control to ensure desired lead time. To enable applications, the PSE Toolbox, which implements the algorithms obtained in PSE, has been developed.

PSE has been applied to dozens of production systems in large, medium, and small manufacturing organizations. These include GM, Ford, Chrysler, Toyota, MillerCoors, Kraft Foods, Kroger, Lexmark, Subzero, Cree Lighting, HellermannTyton, etc. Consistently, significant improvements in productivity, quality, and customer demand satisfaction have been obtained.