Improving Delivery Performance in Gear Manufacturing at Jeffrey Division of Dresser Industries

Our simulation of the gear manufacturing operation based on historical demand patterns focuses on management and control of a newly organized plant within a plant at Jeffrey Mining Equipment Division of Dresser Industries. Using due-date performance as the primary measure of effectiveness, we simulated a change in dispatching policy that realized 39 percent improvement over existing policy at the highest demand level. The results of the study led Jeffrey Division to make changes in both their capacity adjustment policy and their shop floor priorities.