Modelagem computacional de uma máquina de corte em folhas de papel cartão

Abstract

Brazil is one of the major world producers of pulp and paper, being also of great importance its share in the market of paper packaging and sheet cutting services. This market competitiveness moves industrial plants’ managers in the direction of promoting continuous improvements in its processes, seeking greater efficiencies in the use of resources, equipment and supplies and higher production levels. The purpose of this movement is to maintain or increase their sales levels and achieve industry leadership. This work is inserted in this context, in order to evaluate the influence of sheet cutting process’ key variables "number of available operators" and "pallet transportation time" on the productivity of a paper board sheet production line. To achieve this purpose, it is used computer simulation, which allows scenarios analysis and testing without affecting the real system, with a model developed using Simul8 software. The scenarios simulate situations of available operators’ number reduction and pallet transporting times increases and decreases, which would be obtained through improvements in the layout of the plant. With reduction of the personnel it is observed decreases of up to 4.47% in the machine production, in a situation of increased inputs transportation time. The impact analysis of these variables separately shows that the staff has a greater influence on the productivity than the transportation time of inputs. On average, the first variable reduces in 3.73% the machine production, and the second variable, 0.42%. It can be concluded that the maintenance of the available operators’ number deserves efforts of managers in order to maintain productivity levels, and the cost-benefit analysis of the plant improvements that promote the reduction of pallets time transportation should be done. This study also demonstrates the importance of using simulation as a decision making supporting tool, and contributes to the dissemination of this methodology in the scientific and industrial environment.