Discrete-event simulation of process control in low volume high value industries

This paper presents a new method of process control for set-up dominant processes. This new method known as Set-up Process Algorithm (SUPA) was compared with existing industrial practices and statistical techniques in the literature. To test the method’s robustness, a generic discrete-event simulation model was built. This model was used to test four different statistical approaches to process control. It was concluded that SUPA offers a method of process control for set-up dominant processes, which is easier to apply than classically derived SPC approaches, by using simple rules and a traffic light system based on design specification. Simulation analysis shows that SUPA: is more sensitive, at detecting an incapable process as it will monitor more units when a process is less capable; is more sensitive than PRE-Control at detecting mean shifts in a process. SUPA is also a nonparametric methodology and therefore robust against processes with non-Gaussian distributions.