Effective design and operation of disassembly and renovation work areas

Abstract

The market of used and renovated parts offers quality components purchased for extending the life of heavy-duty trucks. Dex Truck Parts of Floyd, Virginia disassembles Class-8 (gross weight of ≥33000 lb.) trucks for salvaged parts and desires to expand the current operations as well as enter the business of parts renovation. Disassembly of heavy-duty trucks involves teardown to base components, and often down more to parts level. Renovation of parts involves inspection and, if needed, repair of fit, form, and function with the goal of extending their lifetime. This paper describes a thorough investigation of Dex's current methods, used to develop design recommendations that satisfy the need for efficient flows and high productivity. The recommendations included the base requirements necessary to satisfy the client's needs of 500 annual trucks disassembles and renovation of parts. The design process incorporated modeling and analysis of the disassembly and renovation work areas in the presence of uncertainty. Flexibility of the layout was important due to the uncertain conditions of incoming trucks. This paper provided Dex Truck Parts with the following results: (i) process map of renovation and precedence diagram of truck disassembly, (ii) layout of disassembly and renovation work areas, (iii) list of tools and material handling devices for both operations, and (iv) thorough evaluation of the final proposed design. These deliverables are provided to the client to facilitate the planned expansion of the business.