Screen Printing Scheduling Methodology

A Senior Project
presented to
the Faculty of the Graphic Communication Department
California Polytechnic State University, San uis !"ispo
#n Partial Fulfillment
of the $e%uirements for the Degree
&achelor of Science
"y
&randon 'olfe ( )yle *aylor
May, +,-,
. +,-, &randon 'olfe, )yle
*aylor
/a"le of Contents
A"stract00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 -
Chapter -00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 +
Chapter +00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 1
Chapter 200000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 -2
Chapter 300000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 -4
Chapter 400000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 +,
'or5 Cited00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 ++
3
A"stract
As the shi6 to7ards o8shore "usiness 7ithin the screen printing industry increases, American
"usinesses must 9nd a 7ay to remain competitive0 Due to manufacturing costs and regulation it
is impossi"le for Americans to compete 7ith the lo7 per unit cost of foreign suppliers0 &y
decreasing the time to mar5et, American "usinesses 7ill "e a"le to remain competitive and
recover lost "usiness0 #n order to achieve this, a fle:i"le scheduling model must "e developed in
order to increase throughput of a production process0 /his model serves to account for varia"les
and variances that occur 7ithin the screen printing process, allo7ing for e8ective continuation
of production0
&randon 'olfe ; )yle *aylor
Screen Printing Scheduling Methodology
Chapter -
#n recent years the screen printing industry has e:perienced a continuous rise in the move
to7ards o8shore "usiness0 Due to lo7 operating costs, foreign companies are a"le to o8er a
lo7 per unit price, relative to domestic producers, to American "usinesses 7anting to cut costs
in an uncertain economy0 Due to la"or la7s and regulations, competing American "usinesses
are una"le to contend 7ith foreign pricing0 /he shi6 to o8shore is leaving many of these
"usinesses una"le to survive in a competitive environment0 #n order to e:ist in the current
"usiness climate screen printing "usinesses must remain competitive "y o8ering customers
"ene9ts other than that of price per unit0
Customers loo5 for three elements 7hen purchasing a product< cost, %uality, and service0 /he
general "elief is that t7o of the three can "e achieved at any one time0 /o remain competitive
7ith foreign "usiness, American "usinesses can o8er the "ene9ts of %uality, and service, "y
decreasing the time to mar5et0 #f American "usinesses are una"le to compete in price, %uality
and time to mar5et are alternatives that 7ill allo7 them to retain customers0 'hen purchasing
from an o8shore source, there is o6en a long lag time "et7een purchasing and receiving the
9nished product0 /he initial cost of the product is lo70 =o7ever, long deliveries and corrections
can "e inconvenient0 &y o8ering %uic5er time to mar5et and high %uality product, "usinesses 7ill
"e a"le to ful9ll the needs of the customer0
/his study ans7ers the %uestion< =o7 can a screen printing "usiness increase throughput and
reduce time to mar5et in order to remain competitive 7ith foreign "usiness> $esearch for this
study 7as conducted at Coudray Serigraphics in San uis !"ispo, Calif0 under the supervision
of industry leader Mar5 Coudray0 #n order to increase throughput and reduce time to mar5et,
s lt r t /he traditional method of scheduling has
mainly used the t r t /he Gantt Chart is a visual reporting device used to convey
a project or a production process schedule0 /he Gantt chart lays out the succession of events in a
visual manner and allo7s for the monitoring of individual activities 7ithin a project according
to a speci9ed plan0 /he Gantt chart is "ased on an ideal production situation0 !nce something
goes 7rong 7ith the schedule, everything is thro7n o8 according to the /heory of Constraints0
r l t t t
s t rl r
t t ti
/raditional scheduling methods use a ?$ear @ie7 MirrorA method of scheduling0 Projects and
production plans are "ased on previous projects0 'ith this type of hindBsight scheduling,
managers are loo5ing to the past in order to plan for the future0 /his historyB"ased method of
scheduling prepares a process for 7hat has happened, as opposed to 7hat could or 7ill
happen0 #n reality, it is necessary to anticipate according to trend lines, rather than "ase
decisions on previous occurrences0
/raditional scheduling methods lend themselves to a slo7 reaction time0 A6er something has
occurred 7ithin a process, it is reported through the ?grapevineA and eventually reaches
upper management0 At this point, the pro"lem is assessed and necessary action is ta5en in
order to correct 7hatever it 7as that 7ent 7rong or needed improving0 /his process of
recogniCing and
ts0 a e hr l t a en o o p le t " era ln le vu u d e h c es a s v a d le o h et t m n Ga
e h g t sin t0 U ciden e in h m t o er f v co e o r le t " si os p y im a e t n g i in 5 a , m y a e d ir e en h r t o le f u d e h c
e h f t t o es e r h t t u o h ug o hr A t c e 8 o e min do s a ? e i er h s, t en p p a g h hin et m o ce s n es, o d ra e a e
o ue t D
em0 ys t S a h t C n Ga
0 y log do o h et g m lin u d e h c n s io uc d o e p h er t t a u m
one
addressing an issue could ta5e days, 7ee5s, or in some cases months to correct0 At this rate, the
pro"lem is not addressed in a timely manner, thus reducing the e8ectiveness of the report0 !nce
a pro"lem is addressed, it is too late0 #n an ever changing "usiness environment, reaction time is
5ey to ma:imiCing the e(ciency and e8ectiveness of a process0 /he For7ard /hin5ing
Scheduling Model is a lean, fle:i"le scheduling method "ased on 5no7n ine(ciencies and
independent and dependent varia"les0 /he method is an anticipatory method of scheduling that
accounts for the dynamic nature of processes and allo7s for the maintenance of jo" flo7 in the
event of an occurrence that 7ould normally thro7 a production schedule o80
'illiam Dd7ards Deming stated that in order to control a process, it is 5ey to move all varia"les
possi"le to the front of that process0 !nce varia"les are addressed at the front end, everything
else 7ill fall in line0 'ith regard to screenBprinting for e:ample, this may mean addressing
pro"lems such as 9le format issues and su"strate issues "efore press, that 7ay, the only varia"les
le6 are onB press issues natural to the process0
/he scheduling method is a ti it s 0 /his means the
model is fle:i"le enough to account for any situation that arises0 $egular jo" flo7 is se%uential
having one jo" a6er another, and in some cases parallel having multiple jo"s running at the
same time in order to ma:imiCe e8ectiveness of e%uipment and "oost !DD Eoverall e%uipment
e8ectivenessF0 # l r r it
s r t t t i ll
t r tl tit t t l t
j 0 &y moving a stopped jo" into a "uilt in "u8er, jo"s 7aiting in line can then move in
ta5ing the place of the stopped jo", maintaining jo" flo7, and avoiding a possi"le cho5e point0
'ith regard to screenBprinting, this may mean 5eeping si: colors on a fourteenBcolor press as
n this mode, as soon as something goes 7 ong, the p ocess s7 ches to fle:i"le
cheduling in o der to account for the si ua ion and main ain jo" flo70 /h s ca s for the "uilding
of "u8ers in o a p ocess to e(cien y su"s u e ano her jo" in the p ace of the s opped or pending
o"
fle:i"le ac v y "a ed method of jo" scheduling
insurance0 #n the event of a screen "rea5, t7o threeBcolor jo"s, or one 9ve color jo" can
then move onto the press and "egin production0 /his allo7s for the necessary maintenance
on the do7ned jo" 7ithout stopping the press at all0
/he method also calls for a FutureBCasting production process0 /his is the a"ility to identify
7arning signs that could lead to potential pro"lems0 &y learning the underlying science to a
process, one 7ill "e a"le to identify irregularities and indicators that a process is going to go
out of variance0 !nce a process goes out of variance, it is li5ely that something 7ill occur to
halt production0 &y recogniCing and preventing these potential pro"lems, one insures a high
pro"a"ility of success for the particular process0
From an accounting standpoint, an activity "ased scheduling method may ena"le a "usiness to
increase throughput and pro9t through costing "ased on activities rather than "estBguess
hourly rates0 &y increasing throughput, the "rea5 even day can "e moved earlier and earlier
7ithin a month0 #nstead of reaching the "rea5Beven point at day +-, it may no7 "e ac%uired at
day -G0 A6er the "rea5 even day has "een reached, everything else flo7s to the "ottom line0
/his means an increase in pro9t and capital0
/he purpose of this study is to esta"lish a for7ard thin5ing, fle:i"le scheduling model that 7ill
facilitate the increase in throughput of a production process and decrease time to mar5et0 &y
creating a scheduling model that is a"le to 7ithstand potential threats, a production process
7ill "ecome more e(cient0 &usinesses 7ill "e a"le to accommodate deadlines of customers
7hile delivering a %uality product0 #n doing this, 7e "elieve "usinesses 7ill "e a"le to retain
customers 7ho 7ould other7ise loo5 to o8shore "usiness0
Screen Printing Scheduling Methodology
Chapter +
?Screen printing is argua"ly the most versatile of all printing processes0 #t can "e used to
print on a 7ide variety of su"strates, including paper, paper"oard, plastics, glass, metals,
fa"rics, and many other materials0 including paper, plastics, glass, metals, nylon and
cotton0 Some common products from the screen printing industry include posters,
la"els, decals, signage, and all types of te:tiles and electronic circuit "oards0 /he
advantage of screenBprinting over other print processes is that the press can print on
su"strates of any shape, thic5ness and siCe0 A signi9cant characteristic of screen printing
is that a greater thic5ness of the in5 can "e applied to the su"strate than is possi"le 7ith
other printing techni%ues0 /his allo7s for some very interesting e8ects that are not
possi"le using other printing methods0 &ecause of the simplicity of the application
process, a 7ider range of in5s and dyes are availa"le for use in screen printing than for
use in any other printing processA EP*DACF0
Screen printing has evolved into a form of printing that has many applications0 ?Dverything
from soda "ottles, to /Bshirts, to co8ee cups, and cars are all screen printedA EPedrettiF0 Screen
printing is a versatile printing process that has "ecome a staple mem"er of the graphic arts
industry ECoudrayF0
?Screen printing consists of three elements< the screen 7hich is the image carrierH the
s%ueegeeH and in50 /he screen printing process uses a porous mesh stretched tightly over
a frame made of 7ood or metal0 Proper tension is essential to accurate color registration0
/he mesh is made of porous fa"ric or stainless steel mesh0 A stencil is produced on the
screen either manually or photoBchemically0 /he stencil de9nes the image to "e printed
in other printing technologies this 7ould "e referred to as the image plate ?EP*DACF0
?Screen printing in5 is applied to the su"strate "y placing the screen over the material0
#n5 7ith a paintBli5e consistency is placed onto the top of the screen0 #n5 is then forced
through the 9ne mesh openings using a s%ueegee that is dra7n across the screen,
applying pressure there"y forcing the in5 through the open areas of the screen0 #n5 7ill
pass through only in areas 7here no stencil is applied, thus forming an image on the
printing su"strate0 /he diameter of the threads and the thread count of the mesh 7ill
determine ho7 much in5 is deposited onto the su"stratesA EP*DACF0
?Many factors such as composition, siCe and form, angle, pressure, and speed of the "lade
Es%ueegeeF determine the %uality of the impression made "y the s%ueegee0 At one time
most "lades 7ere made from ru""er 7hich, ho7ever, is prone to 7ear and edge nic5s and
has a tendency to 7arp and distort0 'hile "lades continue to "e made from ru""ers such
as neoprene, most are no7 made from polyurethane 7hich can produce as many as
+4,,,, impressions 7ithout signi9cant degradation of the imageA EP*DACF0
?#f the item 7as printed on a manual or automatic screen press the printed product 7ill "e
placed on a conveyor "elt 7hich carries the item into the drying oven or through the U@ curing
system0 $otary screen presses feed the material through the drying or curing system
automatically0 Air drying of certain in5s, though rare in the industry, is still sometimes utiliCed0
/he rate of screen printing production 7as once dictated "y the drying rate of the screen print
in5s0 Do to improvements and innovations the production rate has greatly increased0 Some
speci9c
innovations 7hich a8ected the production rate and has also increased screen press
popularity include<
-0 Development of automatic presses versus hand operated presses 7hich have
comparatively slo7 production times0
+0 #mproved drying systems 7hich signi9cantly improves production rate0
20 Development and improvement of U0@0 cura"le in5 technologies
30 Development of the rotary screen press 7hich allo7s continuous operation of the press0
/his is one of the more recent technology developmentsA EP*DACF0
/he Gantt Chart 7as developed "y =enry Gantt "et7een -G-,B-G-40 A Gantt chart is a
graphical representation of the duration of tas5s against the progression of time0 Gantt Chart is
a scheduling tool used to display the status of a projectIs tas5s0 ?A Gantt chart sho7s each tas5Is
duration as a horiContal line0 /he ends of the lines correspond to the tas5Is start and end
datesA EGeorgeto7nF0 /here are some limitations 7hen using the Gantt Chart0 ?Most of the
Gantt charts are analytically thin, too simple, and lac5 su"stantive detail0 /he charts should "e
more intense0 At a minimum, the charts should "e annotatedBBfor e:ample, 7ith toBdo lists at
particular points on the grid0 Costs might also "e included in appropriate cells of the ta"leA E/u6
eF0 Gantt Charts ?encourages a oneBstep approach to planning0 As a result of the presentation
capa"ilities of modern planning pac5ages, the visual %uality of color charts means that they gain
an implicit credi"ility0 /his can result in sta8 "eing un7illing to challenge the charts, and so they
gain a momentum all of their o7n0 /hirdly, they encourage the project manager to overBcontrol
the project rather than devolve the responsi"ility for the timeBplan to team mem"ersA EMaylorF0
#n most production processes there are potential constraints that can occur0 #f one of the screens
"ra5es during printing it 7ill slo7 do7n the 7hole process0 Dverything comes to a halt until the
pro"lem is 9:ed0 /his 7ill inevita"ly change 7hen other jo"s 7ill "e produced0 /he Gantt chart
leaves you no "u8ers or fle:i"ility to not only 9: 7hatIs going on, "ut at the same time
continue on 7ith a di8erent jo" 7hile the other one is "eing 9:ed ECoudrayF0
?A Jrelated ratesI pro"lem is a pro"lem 7hich involves at least t7o changing %uantities and as5s
you to 9gure out the rate at 7hich one is changing given su(cient information on all of the
others0 For e:ample, as t7o vehicles drive in di8erent directions 7e should "e a"le to deduce the
speed at 7hich they are separating if 7e 5no7 the individual speeds and directionsA E&ogleyF0
Mar5 Coudray, o7ner and operator of Coudray Serigraphics in San uis !"ispo, Calif0,
descri"es the screen printing process as involving a related rates "ased system0 # r t
r
t r ti r t r il
t tll l t
t r t
t r ti l
l t r r t
ECoudrayF0
#n order to illustrate the e8ects of related rates, the screen printing process can "e descri"ed
using a tra(c flo7 model0 /he production process is similar to that of the tra(c flo7 on a
free7ay or high7ay0 As cars are traveling at a constant speed, all units are moving in relation to
one another0 'hen an event occurs, in this case a tra(c accident, there is a domino e8ect
throughout the rest of the free7ay0 Cars in immediate pro:imity of the accident must slo7 to a
stop in order to safely pass the accident0 /his slo7ing of the cars at the accident in turn causes
the cars "ehind them to slo7 and so on0 An accident that occurs on the free7ay a8ects the
tra(c flo7 a mile "ehind it due to related rates0 Kust li5e the production process, it ta5es a long
time to move the accident out of the tra(c flo7 and return to ma:imum speed ECoudrayF0
en v e e h m t o er f v co e o r der t A in o p h u c a c ?
g in y a t p en p s s y i a e d h f t t o es e r h s, t en p p a s h hi en t h ' n0 a l p a e ini h t 8 g o in 7 o hr e t o ef er h
, le u d e h c e s h f t t o es e r h n t t o c e 8 o e min s a do a t h en v e e h , t y a e d h r t o le f u d e h c n s io uc d o e p h
f g o innin eg e " h t t s a ur cc t o en v n e s a n a o o s s yF0 A udra o es EC g a g s in 7 lo o l f t a c e 8 y a en er v ad in
l s 7 ces o e p h e in t g a e s n t o s a ur cc t o a h g t hin yt n e a o ef er h lH t a uen % e e s s a n io era p o
n the p oduc ion p ocess,
/he foundation for the scheduling methodology is the theory of constraints0 #n his -GL1 "oo5
entitled /he Goal, Dliyahu Goldratt 9rst introduced the theory of constraints that 7as aimed at
helping organiCations e8ectively achieve their goals EGoldrattF0 According to $o"ert Stein in
his "oo5 titled /he /heory of Constraints, ?/he /!C, 7hich is "ased on the natural la7s that
govern every environment, see5 to determine the underlying causeEsF of pro"lems and to 9nd
the "est solutionsA EStein, -F0 Any managea"le system is limited "y a small num"er of
constraints, and there is al7ays at least one constraint0 /he /!C process see5s to identify the
constraint, and restructure the organiCation around it in order to facilitate the "est outcome
throughout the use of a 9ve focusing steps EDettmer, -3F0
?ConstraintA is de9ned as follo7s< one that restricts, limits, or regulatesH the state of "eing
restricted or con9ned 7ithin prescri"ed "ounds E/he American =eritage Dictionary of the
Dnglish anguageF0 #n order to identify the constraints 7ithin a process, Goldratt has
developed
9ve se%uential steps to concentrate improvement e8orts on the component that is capa"le of
producing the most positive impact on the system0 /he 9ve focusing steps include identifying the
system constraint, deciding ho7 to e:ploit the constraint, su"ordinating everything else,
elevating the constraint, and 9nally repeating the process "y loo5ing for the ne:t constraint
EDettmer, -3F0
#dentify the system constraint0 &y identifying the 7ea5est lin5 in a system one can focus
improvement e8orts in order to remedy the constraint0 /he 7ea5 lin5 can "e a physical attri"ute,
or a fla7 in policy0 &y identifying the type of constraint, the proper measures can "e
implemented EDettmer, -3F0 ?#n any chain of events there can "e only one 7ea5est lin5, and if
improvement is
to occur only the 7ea5est lin5 needs to "e strengthenedA EStein, LF0
/he ne:t step is to decide ho7 to e:ploit the constraint0 Changes and upgrades to a system can
"e costly0 'ithout committing to such e:penses, one must e:haust a constraining component of
its complete capa"ility as it currently e:ists EDettmer, -3F0 #n this stage it is important to decide
ho7 "est to progress to7ard the goal of a system 7ithin the current constraints EMcMullen,
33F0 Process planning may include outlining a speci9c plan, or steps that "est supports the goal0
Su"ordinate the constraint0 A6er identifying the constraint and esta"lishing a plan of action,
the rest of the system is adjusted in order to accommodate the constraint and allo7 it to
operate at ma:imum e8ectiveness EDettmer, -3F0 /his includes "ringing other considerations
in line 7ith 7hat has "een esta"lished in steps one and t7oH identifying the constraint, and
deciding ho7 to e:ploit the constraint0 &y altering the systemIs policies, processes, and other
resources, a support system is created that facilitates the successful operation of the constraint
EMcMullen, 33F0
A6er implementing the previous steps, if the constraint is still constraining the systemIs
performance, elevating the constraint "ecomes necessary0 At this step in the process, the need
to entertain the idea of major changes to the e:isting system surfaces0 /his may come in the
form of reorganiCation, divestiture, capital improvements, or other su"stantial system
modi9cations0 *ecessary action is ta5en in order to eliminate the constraint and can result in a
considera"le investment in time, energy, money, or other resources0 At the completion of this
step, the constraint has "een "ro5en EDettmer, -3F0
/he last step in the focusing steps involves the principles of continuous improvement process0
?Continuous improvement is an ongoing e8ort to improve products, services or processes0
/hese e8orts can see5 ?incrementalA improvement over time or ?"rea5throughA improvement
all at onceA EASMF0 /his process involves the constant evaluation of a process in order to
maintain
ma:imum e8ectiveness0 A6er the "rea5ing of the initial constraint, the cycle "egins again
in order to identify the ne:t thing constraining performance EDettmer, -3F0
/he ultimate goal of the /!C process is to increase the e8ectiveness of a process in order to
increase throughput0 /hroughput is the money produced "y a system0 /hroughput is not parts or
production relatedH a part "ecomes throughput only 7hen the customer is invoiced0 &y
increasing the amount of throughput, a production process "ecomes more pro9ta"le E'oeppel,
1F0
Screen Printing Scheduling Methodology
Chapter 2
Several research methods 7ere used including Dlite and SpecialiCed intervie7ing as 7ell as
descriptive research0 ?A procedure that re%uires as5ing precise, openBended %uestions, "ut
%uestions that are open to re9nement as the research and intervie7 continuesA descri"es Dlite
and SpecialiCed #ntervie7ing EevensonF0 #t is important to remem"er, 7hen conducting an Dlite
and SpecialiCed intervie7, the type of people you are intervie7ing0 e7is A0 De:ter noted that
?people 7ho perceive themselves to "e important, such as professionals and e:ecutives, must "e
intervie7ed di8erently than the Javerage person on the streetI in ma:imiCing the collection of
useful information in applied researchA EevensonF0
Dlite and SpecialiCed intervie7ing 7as conducted "y contacting industry leader, Mar5 Coudray,
of Coudray Serigraphics in San uis !"ispo, Calif0 as 7ell as Prof0 )en Macro of California
Polytechnic State University in San uis !"ispo, Calif0 /he follo7ing %uestions 7ere as5ed<
-0 #n 7hat 7ays are scheduling models, e0g0 Gantt Charts, "ene9cial>
+0 =o7 7ould ?/heory of ConstraintsA "e a "ene9cial scheduling tool>
20 =o7 "ene9cial is it to incorporate "u8ers into a production process in order
to account for errors>
30 =o7 important is it for U0S0 companies to lo7er timeBtoBmar5et in order to
stay competitive 7ith foreign companies>
40 #n 7hat 7ays is an activity "ased scheduling model a good alternative for
screen printing>
Another research method used 7as descriptive research0 !ne of the goals of the project 7as to
develop a visual representation of the screen printing process in order to "etter understand
7here constraints may e:ist0 ?Descriptive research studies are designed to determine the nature
of a situation as it e:ists at the time of the study0 /he aim is to descri"e, J7hat e:istsI 7ith respect
to varia"les or conditions in a situationA EevensonF0
Descriptive research 7as used in order to gather relevant research data0 A research grant
through the company #magine /hat6
.
7as ac%uired0 /he research grant ena"les unlimited use of
the D:tendSim so67are0 /he so67are 7as used to create the visual representation of the screen
printing production process0 Dach step of the 7or5flo7 7as represented visually0 /he so67are
modeled and simulated the screen printing process giving us an overvie7 of ho7 each part is
performing0 Measurements 7ere ta5en as to ho7 long the process 7ill ta5e, ho7 many shirts the
could "e produced per hour and 7here possi"le constraints lie0 Further e:amination of the
model 7as done in order to organiCe and dra7 conclusions from the 9ndings0 /he goal 7as to
recogniCe the necessity and "ene9ts of implementing a ne7 scheduling model into the screen
printing process0 /he aim 7as to o"serve the individual constraints and esta"lish ho7 they e8ect
the process0 Since the aim 7as to lo7er timeBtoBmar5et, 5no7ing 7hich constraints slo7 do7n
the process 7as essential to minimiCe time spent on each part of the process0 For e:ample, if a
9le 7as received that is not ready for print and has improper 9le preparation this causes a
constraint in
the process0 &y 5no7ing 7here the varia"les lie in the pro"lem and removing the varia"les 7e
can speed up the printing process0 &y creating 9le preparation standards and guidelines
customers
can follo7 "efore sending the 9le for print0 =opefully, much less time is spent correcting 9les0
Screen Printing Scheduling Methodology
Chapter 3
#n order to create a visual representation of the screen printing 7or5flo7 the D:tendSim so6
7are 7as used0 /he so67are allo7ed for the creation of a visual model, representing each step in
the production process0 /hese steps included the arrival of stoc5, printing using an L color
process, inspection of the units, drying of in5 through an oven, and the delivery of 9nished
units0
/he model used 7as setup in ?"loc5sA0 Dach "loc5 represented a particular activity that
occurred 7ithin the process0 'ithin each main "loc5 or activity, there 7ere other "loc5s that
served to de9ne the "ehavior of the main "loc5s0
/he screenshot illustrates the "ehavior of the ?Color -A activity0 /his represents the printing
of one color on the press0 'ithin this "loc5 there are other "ehavioral "loc5s that determine
ho7 the activity 7ill "ehave0 #n this case /here are a series of "loc5s that tell the program to
spend a given amount of time performing the activity, as 7ell as an event 7ith a given
pro"a"ility that a varia"le 7ill constrain the process and delay production0 /here is also an
inspection unit that addresses the varia"le0
As the program runs, a visual representation of the process is displayed0 From this, one is a"le to
see each part of the 7or5flo7 operate0 Constraints "ecome apparent and conclusions can "e
made from insight gathered from the program0
For Dlite and SpecialiCed #ntervie7ing, Professor )en Macro and Mar5 Coudray
7ere intervie7ed0 /he %uestions as5ed 7ere<
-0 #n 7hat 7ays are scheduling models, e0g0 Gantt Charts, "ene9cial>
+0 =o7 7ould ?/heory of ConstraintsA "e a "ene9cial scheduling tool>
20 =o7 "ene9cial is it to incorporate "u8ers into a production process in
order to account for errors>
30 =o7 important is it for U0S0 companies to lo7er timeBtoBmar5et in order
to stay competitive 7ith foreign companies>
40 #n 7hat 7ays is an activity "ased scheduling model a good alternative for
screen printing>
During the intervie7s "oth intervie7ees e:plained that Gantt Charts can "e "ene9cial "ecause it
gives a "asic visual idea of 7hen each jo" is to "e performed and ho7 long they estimate to
9nish0 /hey said it is a "ar chart, more or less, that everyone can read and understand 7hen a jo"
needs to start and 9nish0 Alternatives to the Gantt Chart and the "ene9ts of incorporating
"u8ers and /heory of Constraints into a scheduling model li5e the Gantt Chart 7ere discussed0
#t seemed unanimous that a main pro"lem 7ith a scheduling model li5e the Gantt Chart is there
is no room for error0 Dach jo" is scheduled one a6er another and has a 9:ed time of 7hen it
needs to "e
done0 'hen a pro"lem does occur the 7hole process is shut do7n and it inevita"ly causes a
constraint halting jo"s that are "ehind the current jo"0 Coudray and Macro "oth agreed that
this is a fla7 in the scheduling model0 Coudray mentioned it is important to understand 7here
potential constraints lie in the process so hopefully you can avoid them or eliminate them early
on in the process0 Professor Macro agreed that implementing "u8ers into the process to allo7
for errors 7ould "e "ene9cial0 #t 7ould give you room to move jo"s and continue 7or5 7ithout
having to shut do7n the 7hole process losing time and money0 Also discussed 7as the ?tra(c
flo7 modelA and ho7 in a tra(c jam every car has to slo7 do7n and eventually come to a stop0
#f thereIs only one lane then tra(c doesnIt flo7 again until the 7hole jam is cleared0 #f you have
multiple lanes you can then shi6 cars around the jam and continue tra(c flo70 /his allo7s you
to avoid the constraint and gives you time to eliminate it0 /his same concept is 7hat is desira"le
to implement in the screen printing process0 Mar5 phrases it as ?parallel processesA0
As the intervie7s came to a close "oth agreed that creating an activity "ased model in todayIs
screen printing industry is important0 Most jo"s are shortBruns no7 and customers demand a
short turnBaround time0 Creating a model 7ith "u8ers so you can have parallel processes is a
more e(cient 7ay to schedule jo"s and helps eliminate potential constraints in the process0
/hey understand the importance of "ringing jo"s "ac5 to the U0S0 /he 7ay American companies
can
do that is to compete in time-to-market. The more efficient the process is the faster the product
will be produced creating a competitive advantage with overseas manufactures.
Screen Printing Scheduling Methodology
Chapter 4
Conclusions and recommendations
A6er "uilding a "asic simulation of the screen printing process 7ith a random amount of
varia"les applied, varia"les a8ecting the process 7ere e:posed0 A varia"le could "e anything that
7ould stall or hinder the process such as a screen "rea50 /he model gave a "asic visualiCation of
ho7 much time it 7ould ta5e to produce a given amount of shirts 7ith random occurrences of
varia"les in the process0 #mplementing this simulation along 7ith the enhanced scheduling
model helps to ma5e the screen printing process more e(cient in handling the e8ects of
varia"les 7ithin that process0 *ot only does the 7or5flo7 have "u8ers to allo7 production to
flo7 7ithout
shutting do7n completely, a frame7or5 has "een developed for a 7or5ing simulation model
that visually sho7s ho7 varia"les e8ect the process and 7hen 7e can anticipate them0 /he ne7
scheduling model including the simulation model can help screen printers develop a more
?for7ard thin5ingA process that allo7s for more control and fle:i"ility0 /he main goal 7ith this
project 7as to create a for7ard thin5ing model that lo7ers the timeBtoBmar5et and thus helping
American printers "ecome more competitive 7ith foreign competition0
A6er receiving the grant from #magine /hat., the "asics of ho7 to use the tools and interface
7ere learned0 A6er a couple of months of using the program it "ecame apparent that "uilding a
sophisticated, 7or5ing model 7ould ta5e at least a year to "uild and re9ne0 Given the narro7
time slot to 9nish the project, the "asic frame7or5 for the simulation 7as developed0 /he
program is for an eight color press and 7hen the simulation is running it provides a minute "y
minute rundo7n of ho7 the process is performing 7ith a random num"er of varia"les applied
to
the process0 A6er 9nishing the project, recommendations 7ere made to engage students in the
Graphic Communications department in learning the so67are and the fundamentals of the
for7ardBthin5ing scheduling model0 /he "asic program that 7as started has a lot of potential to
"e more dynamic and give more realBtime analysis0 /he intent is to pass on the simulation to
the department in hopes that it 7ill continue to "e "uilt on and re9ned0 As the industry
continues to change and everything is going from long runs to short runs the project is a step
for7ard in ma5ing the printing process more e(cient and timely0 earning the "asics of the
/heory of Constraints and the tra(c flo7 model is highly recommended0 A6er understanding
the fundamentals of the scheduling model it is encouraged that students and sta8 use the model
and "uild on it to ma5e it even more functional0 Further project e:tensions may include the real
time %uanti9cation of data using the production model0 Many modern printing presses are
e%uipped 7ith technology that allo7s for the feeding of information from the press into a
spreadsheet0 /he data contained in the spreadsheet can then "e used 7ithin the program to
re9ne an accurate production model to a speci9c operation0 Future projects along 7ith this
foundation model 7ill serve to provide a valua"le "usiness tool for the screen printing industry0
&y implementing a for7ard thin5ing model along 7ith visual representation so67are, printers
7ill "e a"le to remain competitive "y improving their 7or5flo7 and decreasing time to mar5et0
' o r5 C ite d
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