Buffer Tradeoff

Finally, we will run a buffer tradeoff experiment. The purpose of this experiment is to zoom in on a single buffer and see the effects of changing its size. In order to produce some more interesting results, let's lower some of our existing buffer capacities to a less ideal state. Recall that these lines are producing cookies at a rate of approximately 5,000 per hour. We previously set 4 hour buffer of 20,000 cookies on both lines. Let's see how lower buffer capacity will effect our OEE.

New Buffer Capacities

We will focus on buffer b2, which is the buffer for baked cookies before filling and assembly. We will set a minimum capacity of 0, a step size of 150, and a maximum capacity of 1500.

This experiment shows us the ideal buffer size. In this case, the four hour buffer we chose initially is far too large given the way the line is running. We could reduce it all the way down to just 800 cookies with no ill effects on OEE.