# Improving the Production Efficiency Based on Algorithmization of the Planning Process
## 4 Research Results
### Basic Algorithm Development  
To solve this challenge, a case study was processed in a company that falls into the field of automotive. The methods that were used for the study are DMAIC, algorithmization, and structured interviews. As part of the structured interviews, it was necessary to gain awareness of the operation of the production equipment from the perspective of the operator and also from the perspective of production management, which is directly responsible for production efficiency. During interviews with the staff and technology of the production unit, precise data were found and measured, which are directly related to the production of each piece of product, and these data were incorporated directly into the algorithm, as they are related to production capacity. Interviews with production management led to a detailed description of the production process, including material flow, finished pieces, and follow-up activities. DEFINE: In line with the DMAIC improvement cycle, the baseline situation in the organization was first characterized. The object of interest is the company, which supplies plastic components for the car manufacturer. It is, therefore, a supplier company; whose sole customer is another company. The subject of our interest is the production line, which produces 4 types of products. Production on this device takes place every week in a 5-day cycle. It should not be produced on weekends because the customer company produces only on exceptional weekends and the production capacity of the equipment is sufficient to satisfy the contracted quantities. However, a situation may arise when there is a failure on the line or there is a lack of material, then these contracted supplies cannot be met if the stock is minimal. Another motivation is a new business opportunity to produce products on this line for another customer and it is necessary to ensure production planning sufficiently efficiently, with permanently low stocks. The contracted quantities of delivered pieces are fixed and are known well in advance. Removals take place several times a day in the form of JIT, so it is necessary to always have a certain amount of product available during the day, even for subsequent processes. MEASURE and ANALYZE: The main reason for the design and creation of the planning algorithm is the current effort to minimize stockpiles due to product obsolescence and their occasional damage, while smoothly meeting customer needs. Due to the permanent shortage of personnel in production, the possibility of overtime shifts in the case of technical problems is considerably limited and the need for overtime shifts can probably be prevented by better production planning. When changing a product whose production has just ended, the production line must be suspended for 120 min, reconfigured and then production can begin. It takes an average of 1 min to produce one piece of product. TP, total time spent on products production, can be expressed (1):  
\[TP=\sum_{x=1}^{n}(TMx+QPx*TPx) \tag{1}\]  
where TM is time needed line reconfiguration, QP is quantity of product type, TP is time spent on one unit of product type. The line conversions are the largest consumer of production productivity, as each conversion means 120 pieces of less produced parts, so the goal of the algorithm is to minimize these conversions, but not at the cost of supply endangerment. The number of product types produced has a direct effect on the capacity of the production line. Each type of product requires a time-consuming reconfiguration of the production line, which is the largest loss of production time within a given production day. The capacity of production is calculated (2):  
\[PC=\sum_{x=1}^{n}\left(\frac{PTx-n*RecT}{PTx}\right) \tag{2}\]  
where PC is production capacity, PT is production time of one day, which should be 1440 min totally, n is number of reconfigurations in given day and RecT is reconfiguration time, which is 120 min.