OPTIMUM PLANNING OF MANPOWER AND MACHINES IN AN ARMY BASE WORKSHOP

Abstract

This thesis in concerned with the planning of the future requirements of men and machines in an Army Base Workshop. In a given Army Base Workshop, the jobs required to be carried out arrive at random. Each job requires, either, different repair time or manufacturing time. resides, the job must be completed as per the given priority and assigned due dates. The model adopted for achieving this is of a hierarchical nature. The approach illustrates how to complement the strengths of two important modeling techniques: mathematical programming and simu1ation. The problem can be characterized as one of capacity planning, Were a great deal of uncertainity exists as to the demands on the system. The approach taken is hierarchical in the sense that en aggregate planning model first suggests a man/machine configuration for the job-shop and then a detailed model evaluates the performance of this configuration in a simulated environment. Once a proposed configuration for the job-shop is generated by the aggregate p\anning model, the detailed model addresses the uncertainities and the precedence relations that effect the job-shop environment on an hour-by-hour basis. If the detailed evaluation of the configuration is unacceptable, constraints are modified in the aggregate model and the procedure is repeated. iii zv The hierarchical approach also facilitates the decision-maker's interaction with the models, and allows for comprehensive testing of a wide variety of options that can result in robust and efficient solutions. The said model considers the machine shop of a Base Workshop. It can be easi1y extended to other job-shop configurations. The case is similar to intermittent production, open job-shop wherein general-purpose equipment and trained manpower are held ready to meet a widely fluctuating demand for repair and manufacturing work. Two interesting features which have emerged after the optimisation of manpower and machines are as under:- (a) 8e-fore optimisation the number of labour employed was more than the number of machines held in the machine shop. This implies that some workers were idle at some point of time or the other. (b> After optimisation, the results show that the number of workers which are required is lesser than the machines in the machine shop. This implies that at some point of time or the other, a worker is working on two machines, if not more. The optimisation also reveals a reduction of 39 workers in the machine - shop. Taking into account their salary as on date, tradewise, there is a net saving of Rs 59580/- per month to the State. This is also equivalent to a saving of Rs 7.15 lakhs per annum to the State.