Balanceo de líneas para mejorar la productividad de la línea de confección textil en la Empresa Corporación Impactex Cia. Ltda.

Abstract

The main objective of this project was to develop line balancing to improve the productivity of the textile apparel production line at Corporación Impactex Cía. Ltda. The first stage consisted of evaluating the current state, characterizing the processes, prioritizing Category A products and grouping them by production lines, and establishing reliable standard times through a time study. Based on this data, a cycle time of 15.66 seconds per unit was set. Subsequently, the Kilbridge and Wester (KWM) heuristic was applied for balancing, complemented by the multi-operator station method to efficiently manage tasks that exceeded the cycle time. Based on this balancing, a fictional sequencing for the global distribution of 12 stations was designed under the Mixed-Model Assembly Line Balancing Problem (MMALBP) approach, utilizing fixed and floating tasks. This redistribution was reflected in a U-shaped Layout, which significantly increases system flexibility. Finally, discrete-event simulation in FlexSim validated the proposal, demonstrating an average increase in line efficiency from 54% to 81% and a drastic reduction in idle time from 33%-45% to 10-11%. The throughput improved remarkably, highlighting an increase in production across the different lines by eliminating bottlenecks and significantly reducing Work in Process (WIP) inventory. The solution guarantees a continuous, stable, and highly efficient production flow, ensuring that the company's installed capacity optimally meets demand.