An Assortment–quantity optimization problem in printing industry using simulation modelling

Smagowicz, Justyna (author), Szwed, Cezary (author), Berlec, Tomaž (author)

This paper presents a method for assortment–quantity production scheduling in a printing company. The company uses specialized machinery to make prints on clothing. The method is based on a study of the company’s practical operations and the production technologies used. It involves the construction of simulation and optimization models of the process. The simulation models reflect the technical aspects of the production process and the business requirements. Optimization models provide solutions that balance product sales revenue with appropriate production schedules. On this basis, managers can make resource-balanced decisions on the implementation of selected production plans, taking into account the current economic conditions of the company. The experiments used the FlexSim simulation program (by FlexSim Software Products, Inc., Orem, UT 84097 USA; v. 20.1.3.1) and the OptQuest optimization package (embedded in FlexSim), resulting in a cost-effective solution in a short time. The proposed method, thanks to the optimization of the production program, provides savings in the use of materials for production, as well as water and energy savings in the production process. Thanks to the possibility of analyzing the process without interfering with it, provided by simulation modelling, the method practically eliminates the costs and time needed to prepare the execution of new production orders. This contributes to the sustainable development of the company and provides an opportunity to assess the impact of potential business decisions in the company prior to their implementation. The method has been directly applied in a company to improve its performance. The method is scalable and can be applied to problems of varying complexity and production systems of different types and sizes. This is especially true for small- and medium-sized companies that use discrete manufacturing in the textile, metal, and furniture industries.

• Language: English
• Keywords: sustainable production, simulation modelling, optimization algorithms, integrated approach, printing industry
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FS - Faculty of Mechanical Engineering
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Publication date: 01.01.2024
• Year: 2024
• Number of pages: Str. 1-25
• Numbering: Vol. 16, iss. 4, art. 1693
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-154546
• UDC: 658.5:677:004.94
• ISSN on article: 2071-1050
• DOI: 10.3390/su16041693
• COBISS.SI-ID: 186183939
• Publication date in RUL: 20.02.2024

SMAGOWICZ, Justyna, SZWED, Cezary and BERLEC, Tomaž, 2024, An Assortment–quantity optimization problem in printing industry using simulation modelling. Sustainability [online]. 2024. Vol. 16, no. 4,  1693, p. 1–25. [Accessed 30 April 2025]. DOI 10.3390/su16041693. Retrieved from: https://repozitorij.uni-lj.si/IzpisGradiva.php?lang=eng&id=154546

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Sustainability
• Shortened title: Sustainability
• Publisher: MDPI
• ISSN: 2071-1050
• COBISS.SI-ID: 5324897

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: trajnostna proizvodnja, simulacijsko modeliranje, optimizacijski algoritmi, integriran pristop, tiskarska industrija