1. Context and Objectives of the Project

TESEM needed a solution to solve the growing limitations in the planning of its anodizing plant, characterized by multiple operating restrictions, frame limitations and strict requirements for product reference and color.

The previous manual or semi-assisted system had difficulties in ensuring compliance with delivery dates, efficient use of resources, and load balancing between automatic and manual lines.

Purpose of the SOPPA system:

Design and implement a functional prototype of an optimization system that makes it possible to automate the planning of part inputs to anodizing lines, considering multiple physical, resource and operational constraints, and maximizing the overall performance of the plant.

2. Problem Addressed

Daily planning was limited by:

• Compatibility variability between references and racks.
• Limited capacity of racks and lines per day.
• Restrictions on the availability of pre-anodized parts (embossing).
• Need to minimize color changes between tasks.
• Strict compliance with deadlines per order and specific configuration of the reference machine.

These factors made a manual or static rule-based approach unfeasible, requiring an adaptable and flexible optimization engine.

3. Expected System Outcomes

The system returns, for each of the next three days:

• Tasks planned by machine and reference.
• Number of racks assigned.
• Exact number of parts and tickets per day.
• Grouping of compatible references by color to minimize stops.

All this in a clear tabular format compatible with planning tools that already exist in the plant.

4. Benefits and Conclusions

With the implementation of the SOPPA system, TESEM achieves:

• Automate production planning in anodized, eliminating the dependency on manual planning.
• Increase line productivity and stability, especially automatic ones.
• Improve the use of critical resources, such as racks and stringing space.
• Reduce planning errors, by integrating all the technical constraints from the initial model.
• Ensure compliance with delivery dates, even in scenarios with high reference turnover or priority changes.

“SOPPA automates the production planning of anodizing lines in TESEM, optimizing resources, reducing downtime and guaranteeing timely deliveries through decision algorithms adapted to complex industrial environments.”

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