Influence of Manufacturing Process Modularity on Throughput Rate and Complexity

Process modules can be characterized as networks of interacting independent operational units or functions. This independence allows a company to produce a large variety of products with different processing requirements in high volumes. The goal of this paper is to explore how process modularity affects the throughput rate and operational process complexity. For the specified purpose, the two types of alternative process structures will be explored using Tecnomatix Plant Simulation software. Experiments showed that process modularity positively influences maximization of throughput rate and minimization of process complexity.