Table of Contents

Abstract iv

Résumé vi

Summary in Arabic viii

Introduction 6

I. The Company

1. MENARA GROUP and MENARA PREFA

8
1.1. MENARA
GROUP………………………………………………………………….8
1.1.1. Vision, Mission and Strategy…………………………………….
…………….8
1.1.2. Sectors of
Interest………………………………………………………….......8
1.2. MENARA
PREFA……………………………………………………………....…13
1.2.1. Business
Nature…………………………………………………………..
..…13
1.2.2. Legal Status and Identification Profile…………………………....
……….....14
1.2.3. History…………………………………………...…………………...
……...14
1.2.4. Organisation Structure …………………………...
……………………….....15

1
 1.2.5. Departments of MENARA PREFA……………….
……………………...….17
1.3. SWOT Analysis……..
……………………………………………………………..20
1.4.

Conclusion……………………………………………………………………

…....21

2. Production Process and Production Units 22

2.1 Description of the Order Process from Client to Client……………………………22
2.2 Description of the First Unit of Production: Quadra……………………………….23
2.2.1 Definition of Unit Components………………………………………………23
2.2.2 Description of Production Process Cycle…………………………………….24
2.3 Description of the Second Unit of Production: Poutrelle…………………………..28
2.3.1 Definition of Unit Components………………………………………………28
2.3.2 Description of Production Process Cycle…………………………………….29
2.4 Conclusion………………………………………………………………………….30

II. Identification of Problems and Suggestion of Solutions

32

3. Production Operation at MENARA PREFA 33

3.1 Product Design…………………………………………………………………….33
3.2 Location……………………………………………………………………………33
3.3 The Production Process……………………………………………………………33
3.4 Inventory…………………………………………………………………………...34
3.5 Supply Chain……………………………………………………………………....34
3.6 Job Design………………………………………………………………………....34
3.7 Plant Capacity……………………………………………………………………..34
3.8 Quality……………………………………………………………………………..35
3.9 Customer Service and Product Reliability………………………………………...36
3.10 Layout…………………………………………………………………………....36
3.11 Delivery Process…………………………………………………………………36

2
 3.12 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………….38

4. The Mould Changing Problem 39

4.1 Problem Identification……………………………………………………………..39
4.1.1 Layout Analysis……………………………………………………………...39
4.1.2 Steps of Mould Changing …………………………………………………...40
4.2 Solutions…………………………………………………………………………...43
4.2.1 New Layout………………………………………………………………….43
4.2.2 Review the Aggregate Production Planning ………………………………..43
4.2.3 Application of SMED (Single Minute Exchange of Dies)………………….44
4.3 Conclusion………………………………………………………………………...49

5. Raw Material Management and Production Cycle Stops 50

5.1 Presentation of Data……………………………………………………………..50
5.1.1 The Production Levels……………………………………………………...50
5.1.2 Consumption of Raw Material……………………………………………...52
5.1.3 Demand Levels……………………………………………………………...54
5.2 Problem Identification…………………………………………………………….55
5.3 Forecasting Solution………………………………………………………………56
5.3.1 Anticipated Demand for 2009………………………………………………56
5.3.2 Predicted Raw Material Consumption……………………………………...58
5.4 Reviewing Lead Time ……………………………………………………………61
5.5 Creating Schedules for Maintenance……………………………………………..61
5.6 Changing the Supplier……………………………………………………………61
5.7 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………….62

6. Scheduling Problem 63
6.1 Problem Identification……………………………………………………………63
6.1.1 Production Cycle Steps for One Truck……………………………………..63
6.1.2 The Closed Production Cycle for Two Tracks……………………………..64
6.2 Suggested Ideas…………………………………………………………………..65
6.3 Additional Comment……………………………………………………………..71
6.4 Profit Estimation…………………………………………………………………72
6.5 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………….72

Conclusion 73
3
References 75

Annexe 76

Glossary of Technical Words 78

4
Table of Tables
Table Page
Title
Number Number
1 Sampling Division 37
2 Timing of The Mould Changing Steps 41
3 Lost Profit for each Type of Concrete Units 42
4 Total Cost of Mould Changing 42
5 Timing of the Mould Changing Steps Using the SMED 47
Lost Profit for each Type of Concrete Units After Using
6 48
SMED

7 Total Cost of Mould Changing Using the SMED 48

8 Production Levels of 2008 50
9 Consumption of Quadra 52
10 Consumption of Poutrelle 53
11 Demand Levels of 2008 54
12 Expected Demand of 2009 for Concrete Units 56
13 Expected Demand of 2009 for Beams 57
14 Raw Material Consumption Ratios 58
15 Expected Raw Material Consumption for Quadra 59
16 Expected Raw Material Consumption for Poutrelle 60
17 Division of Employees and Time over Steps of Production 64
18 Required Time and Employees for Preparing One Truck 67
19 Division of Shifts 71

5
Table of Figures
Figure Page
Title
Number Number
1 Flow Chart of MENARA PREFA 16
2 Schema of the Unit Quadra 24
3 Functioning of a Manufacturing Unit of Concrete Agglomerates 27
4 the Beam Constitutions 28
5 the Production Cycle for Beams 29
6 Bakeout Cycle 30
7 the Old Layout of the Press Space 40
8 the New Layout of the Mould Changing Space 43
9 Production Levels for Concrete Blocks 51
10 Production levels for beams 51
11 Consumption of Quadra 52
12 Consumption of Poutrelle Unit 53
13 Curve of Concrete Blocks Demand 54
14 Curve of Beams Demand of 2008 55
15 Demand of Concrete Blocks for 2009 57
16 Demand of Beams for 2009 58
17 Expected Raw Material Consumption for 2009 for Quadra Unit 59
Expected Raw Material Consumption for 2009 for Poutrelle
18 60
Unit

19 The Closed Production Cycle for the Two Tracks of Poutrelle 65

Division of Production Operation over 48 Hours in Poutrelle
20 68
Unit

21 Overlaps of Tasks in the Two Tracks over 48 hours 69

22 Shifts Division over 24 Hours 70
23 Schema of the Poutrelle Track 71

6
Introduction

Construction sector knows an evolution in Kelaa Des Sraghna. MENARA PREFA, which
belongs to MENARA GROUP, is one of the companies that have limited their activities in the
production of construction material and have succeeded in retaining a highly prestigious
position in the market. MENARA PREFA like other organizations has three major axes of
activity: finance and accounting, marketing and production. In this report we are interested in
analysing all the operations that are related to the production.

MENARA PREFA belongs to BTP sector of MENARA GROUP, it has two factories one in
Marrakech and the second in Kelaa Des Sraghna. My internship was in MENARA PREFA EL
KELAA, thus all the data analysed in this report are about MENARA PREFA KELAA.
This report contains two major parts. The first part consists of two chapters and the second
four chapters. The first chapter gives a general idea about MENARA GROUP. The second
chapter describes the two existing production units Quadra and Poutrelle and evaluates the
relationship of the company with its clients. The second part assesses the company production
operations, it contains four chapters. The third chapter is an overview of the production
operations. The forth chapter covers the mould changing problem in Quadra unit. The fifth
chapter presents the problem of raw material management in Quadra and Poutrelle units. The
sixth chapter analyses the operations scheduling in the Poutrelle unit.

The first part of this report contains information about the company while the second part
presents the important data, analyse these data, identifies the production problems and
suggests solutions. Thus, all the results accomplished during the internship period are
presented in the chapters 4, 5 and 6.

7
 Part 1
The Company

8
Chapter 1

MENARA GROUP and MENARA PREFA

1.1 MENARA GROUP

MENARA GROUP was created in 1976 mainly for transportation. The year 1989 saw the
launching of new activities that today include the quarrying and crushing. The company’s has
developed other products, processes and services in the construction and public works sector.
After several years of hard work and commitment, MENARA GROUP succeeded in retaining
its highly prestigious reputation and became a leader in the market. (See Reference 11)

1.1.1 Mission, Vision and Strategy

“Constructing for The Future” is the mission of MENARA PREFA.

By 2010, MENARA GROUP wants to be an industrial reference and a national leader in its
core competencies and to ensure sustainability through strong internal human values as well as
the development of new skills to participate actively in economic and regional growth.
The strategy of the company is based on the following points:
 Improving the core activities performance
 Developing a balanced activity portfolio that ensures sustainability of the group
 Being different through quality and service in each of its activities

1.1.2 Five Sectors of Interest

MENARA GROUP gathers seven hundred collaborators and fifteen companies of different
activities related to five principal sectors of activities: (See Reference 1)

 BTP Sector:

Because of the strong increase in demand of construction materials MENARA GROUP has
created four companies in this sector:

9
  Ménara Préfa:

in 2002, MENARA GROUP created a new industrial unit MENARA PREFA, it produces
prefabricated units (paving stones, concrete blocks and beams), after that this company
became the leader of the BTP sector in the region of Tensift and Oued Draa. It has two
factories one in Marrakech and the second in Kelaa Des Sraghna, each of them employs more
than 250 people. My internship was inside MENARA PREFA KELAA. Thus all what is
reported in this document is related to MENARA PREFA KELAA.
Also, a new factory is being installed in Bni Mellal, and others will follow in the next few
years.

 Carriére et Transport Menara:

It started its core operations in 1989. The activities of the company consist of the production
of aggregates, sand and crushed Gravette to serve the building market and the public works.
Currently, the company Carriére et Transport Menara has three sites two in Marrakech and
one in Kelaa Des Sraghna, In addition to two other sites under construction one in Marrakech
and one in Kelaa Des Sraghna. This is one of the principal subsidiaries of the BTP sector. This
sector employs over 250 people and has equipment of latest technology.

 Carripréfa:

In 2007, MENARA GROUP started collaborating with powerful actors in the field of
construction and transportation through the creation of the company Carripréfa. The company
Carripréfa activities are related to quarry and production of prefabricated units. MENARA
GROUP owns 50% of the Carripréfa capital. Carripréfa was created to satisfy the needs of the
customers of Tamansourt region.

 Les lumiéres de Menara:

To improve its products and services in the construction industry, MENARA GROUP has
provided an innovative solution in the field of public and industrial lighting. By creating the
company Les Lumiéres De Menara in 2007 under an exclusive contract with a Swedish

10
company that specializes in lighting products. This Swedish company is responsible for
marketing and sale of products for lighting. Their offer consist of studying the clients demands
and try to provide them with solutions that will respond their lighting needs while ensuring a
significant energy saving exceeding 50%.

 Transportation Sector:

If we go back to the history of MENARA GROUP, MENARA has been started as a company
that transports goods via the company Transport Menara. Because of the development of the
group activities the transportation of goods was abandoned. And the company covers the
sector of raw material and finished products carriage. The transportation sector has the
ambition to reintegrate the goods transportation within its activities in the near future. This
sector contains the two following companies:

 Carriére et Transport Menara:

It started its activities in 1976 in Marrakech under the name of Transport Menara.
Transportation of all kinds of goods was its major activity. It employs 100 people. At the
beginning it was transporting the aggregates and products for building; it started operating in
Agadir in 1988 to contribute to the construction of the airport and port of the city.

 Sotrassous:

The second largest transportation company in the group. Its creation shows the willingness of
MENARA leaders to expand into other markets and regions of Morocco. Sotrassous objective
is to develop the activities related to logistics in the construction sector.

 Automobile Sector:

The automobile sector has always been a challenge for the founder of the group, because of
the need of lot of repairs and parts to the large number of vehicles used in the different
companies of the group. For this reason, MENARA GROUP created two companies in this
sector:

11
  Jihad Pieces Auto:

Created in 1990, Jihad Pieces Auto main operations are the marketing and sale of vehicles
parts. The company starts its activities as an exclusive supplier of MENARA GROUP then
expanded to the local market. It succeeded to develop its portfolio and became the main
retailer of spare parts in the region and the exclusive representative of the famous brands
VOLVO, MERCEDES, BMW and KIENZLE. To maintain its position in the market, Jihad
Pieces Auto adopts a new strategy by developing a network of sales and services for its
customers.

 TriAtlas Motors:

The tricycle motor has a strategic future in Morocco the fact that encourages MENARA
GROUP to create the company TriAtlas Motors in 2007. TriAtlas Motors a company
specializing in the manufacture, distribution and marketing of vehicle motors.

 Estate Sector:

MENARA GROUP is a major player in the construction field in Morocco. It was logic for the
group to participate in the development of the estate market. MENARA GROUP develops
activities of promotion and management of the estate sector through its four companies:

 Immobiliére Tensift:

Created in 1988, this company is specialized in the promotion of estate. Initially, the goal of
the company was the purchase and management of estate where the companies of the group
were located. Then, it was oriented to carry out projects in social housing. In this way, the
company aims to participate actively in the improvement of housing in Morocco.

 Immobiliére Ouled Zerrad:

12
 A company specializing in the estate management, created in 1992 in Marrakech. The
company Immobiliére Ouled Zerrad activities consist of the purchase and resale of land and
estate. It aims in the very near future to expand its activities by integrating hotel management.

 Mekka Investissement:

Within the same strategy of developing estate projects, MENARA GROUP has established the
company Mekka Investissement in 1992. By acquiring this company the group expanded its
real estate activities in the city of Kelaa Des Sraghna. A first complex of 100 villas standing
with a shopping mall is under realisation. Such project will help the group to develop the
strategic axis of Kelaa Des Sraghna – Bni Mellal.

 Aakar Develeppement:

In 2007 the company Aakar Develeppement was born as a result of a partnership with other
collaborators. Aakar Develeppement becomes a developer of real estate projects. The
company ambition is to be the first reference in the market of estate.

 Diverse Sector:

Thanks to its know-how in the four precedent sectors, the group wants to diversify its
activities and open to new horizons and trades through the creation of new companies such as:

 El Yazid Clothing:

The company El Yazid Clothing is the first experience of the group in the field of clothes. The
company founded in 2004, it sells franchised brands of children clothes”Caribu”.

 Menara Fashion:

13
Created by MENARA GROUP in 2007, Menara Fashion sells clothes for men, women and
children of the brand “McGrégor”. The first store was opened in Marrakech in December
2007 and other shops will follow. This policy of expanding nationally will be supported by a
marketing strategy to promote “MCGREGOR” brand.

 Complex Tamansourt:

The company was founded in 2006, under the goal of participating in the birth and growth of
the new town Tamansourt. The company’s mission is the development and management of an
industrial area and the establishment of a station, cafe, hotel and park for children.

 Domaine Zaho:

Today, Morocco is no longer a holiday destination but it became now a retirement destination
for many Europeans. MENARA GROUP created Domaine Zaho in 2007 that operates in the
field of estate and development of older cities. It works in collaboration with international
companies to realize this kind of projects.

1.2 MENARA PREFA

MENARA PREFA has two plants one in Marrakech and the second in Kelaa Des Sraghna.
From now on, we will focus on the plant of Kelaa Des Sraghna.

1.2.1 Business Nature

MENARA PREFA is one of the companies that belong to MENARA GROUP, BTP sector. It
bases its activities on the production of construction material such as:
 The ready to use concrete
 Prestressed Beams for floor construction
 Agglomerates and concrete hollow block
 Autoblocking cobblestones
 Prestressed concrete grinders
These products are produced using two principal production units the first one is “Quadra”
used for concrete blocks production and the second one is “Poutrelle” used for the beams
production. (See reference 11)

14
 1.2.2 Legal Status and Identification Profile

 The corporate name: MENARA PREFA

 Legal form: S.A.R.L
 Fiscal Code: 06504937
 Patente : 46613943
 Commercial registre : 14309
 Date of creation: 2002
 Authorized capital: 30.000.000 MAD
 The accounting period: January to December 31
 CNSS: 6417423
 Labour force: 330 workers
 Phone number: (212) 524 22 01 19
 Fax number: (212) 524 41 44 03
 Bank account: the BMCE bank and the Popular bank
 Address: KELAA DES SRAGHNA Km 0.500-Road Bni Mellal
 Email : [email protected]
 Site Web: www. menara-prefa.com

1.2.3 History

MENARA PPREFA was created in 2002 in Kelaa Des Sraghna, MENARA PREFA activities
are related to the production of various construction materials. Because of the growth of the
construction products market, MENARA PREFA diversified its activities by enlarging its
capacity of producing concrete blocks and started producing beams in March 2008. MENARA
PREFA is now the leader of construction material production in Kelaa Des Sraghna. In March
2005 MENARA PREFA sales turnover exceeds the combined sales of all competitors, (See
Reference 11).

1.2.4 Organization Structure

15
This flow chart indicates that the company has adopted an internal organization structure
which is hierarchical and functional. The hierarchical structure appears across the chart,
vertically, so that all the decision should be validated by the regional director. The functional
structure consist of the strong relationship between MENARA PREFA of Kelaa Des Sraghna
and MENARA PREFA of Marrakech, so that all the strategic decision should be discussed
with the concerned responsible in Marrakech. Also all the relevant information about the work
process should be communicated directly to the responsible in Marrakech.
So the process of decision taking is divided into two part first discussion and then validation.
The large number of hierarchical levels forbids of having an effective flow of authority and
information. In general, the weak point of this structure is the limitation of each individual to
the borders of his/her department and the lack of sharing ideas between different layers of the
chart, (See reference 11).

16
 Regionnal
Director

Finance & Haman

Information Commercial
Quality Main Factory Main Administrative Ressources
Systems Main Main
Departement Departement Main Main
Departement Departement
Departement Departement

Information
Systems Quality Analysis Accounting Purchase
Quality Personnel
Departement Management Maintenance Production Scheduling Sales Departement Departement Departement
Assurance Administration
Sytem Departement Departement Departement Departement
Departement Departement
Departement

Fig 1: Organization Chart of MENARA PREFA

17
 1.2.5 Departments of MENARA PREFA

This part gives a brief description of the different department of the MENARA PREFA. The
analysis and evaluation we are presenting in this report are mainly related to the production,
scheduling and sales departments. At the top of the hierarchy we found the regional manager
who is responsible for the two plants of MENARA PREFA. He has a great authority in all
the fields, his principal function consists of making decision and setting the axes of the
general strategy of the company. All the main departments are located at MENARA PREFA
Marrakech while the departments are in Kelaa Des Sraghna.

 Information Systems Department

The connection between all departments is very important for any company this requires an
Information Systems department. This department is responsible for the organization and
management of the information within the company, in order to facilitate the access and
processing of these data through the automation of the manual work inside the company.

 Quality Assurance Department

The quality insurance department is responsible for insuring the regularity of the product and
maintaining quality at all levels from receiving raw material to delivering final product. This
is done through the analysis of different data and indicators such as the number of
nonconforming units. The department members should eliminate all the factors that can
disturb the regularity of the products such as machine failures, stock shortages and errors of
handling.

 Quality Management Systems Department

The Quality Management Systems Department role is the design and implementation of a
quality management system. The objective is to increase profitability. This is done through:
 Increasing effectiveness and productivity
 Identifying improvement opportunities
 Increasing customer satisfaction
 Managing costs and risks

18
The company has succeeded in obtaining the ISO 9001-2008, in the 3 rd of March 2009,
thanks to the efforts of this department.
 Maintenance Department

The maintenance department contains employees of different skills who are responsible for
the maintenance of any damaged piece or machine failure. They should intervene quickly to
solve any problem inside the production department.

 Production Department

The production department is directed by an industrial engineer who works in collaboration

with the other employees. He is responsible for all of machines that produce the different
products, from receiving raw material to finished products. The production lines are basically
composed of series of machines and the intervention of workers is needed only for
packaging, transportation and storage of final products. This partially explains why the
company has a small labor force.

 Scheduling Department

The scheduling department is responsible for preparing schedules of product delivery. They
have a direct contact with clients. They prepare forecasting plans of the quantity needed of
final products and give it to the production department under the goal of providing the
customer with all what he needs when and where it is needed.

 Sales Department

The sales department is represented primarily by a sales manager who works in

collaboration with a team of sales representatives. The sales manager is personally
responsible for the establishment of investment plans, the selection of potential suppliers
and the search for local and foreign clients. The sales manager is the major representative
of the company. Thereafter, the functions filled by this department are:
 Reception of customer orders and the establishment of a purchase order
 Invoicing
 Generation of sales reports by product and by period
 Calculation of orders total amount and definition of payment method

19
  Analysis Department

This department is responsible for keeping direct contact with the customers in order to
ascertain the customers’ needs. The department members define the quantities, to be ordered,
of each product according to the plans given by customers, which show the layout of the
place where the concrete blocks and beams will be used. Then, it defines how the concrete
blocks and beams will be placed. The customer receives the products and a document called
“lays plan” that shows how the products will be placed. Two major software are used in the
analysis department:
 The software AUTOCAD: gives the lays plan that demonstrates how the products
will be positioned.
 The software PC COMPOSENT: identifies the type of concrete needed and gives the
nomenclature.

 Accounting Department

The accounting work of the company is done by the company ALMOUADABA which
ensures the good path (commercial and legal) of the activity of the company. Nevertheless, it
should be announced that the major part of preliminary work is carried out by the personnel
of the company. The accountant obtains all information necessary by consulting the various
departments. The established operations are:
 Entering data in a software
 Establishing the assessment
 Counting products
 Tax declarations (IGR, CNSS and VAT).

 Purchase Department

The purchase department is responsible for two functions. The first is selecting the
suppliers according to some predefined criteria. The second is providing the company with
all the raw material needed when and where it is needed.

20
  Personnel Administration Department

The human resources department is responsible for the personnel administration and
motivation. It has many roles such as:
 Controlling the disciplines and maintaining laws.
 The constitution of the files of the employees.
 The daily follow-up of the personnel of the company in terms of presence, change of
address, delay and any information concerning the social and professional state of the
employees (calculation of the wages and payments, work accident, CNSS, insurance,
MUTUAL…)

1.3 SWOT Analysis

A first analysis of MENARA PREFA’s business, organization, and quality of work can be
presented as follows:

Strengths Weaknesses
 Good quality products  Centralized decision making
 Large capital  Problems at the planning level
 Large lines of production  Conservative way of thinking
Opportunities Threats
 Monopolist (no competitors)  New companies will adapt the same
 Large demand for products activities
 Demand for new products

 Strengths

MENARA PREFA is known for the good quality of its products thanks to the use of good
quality raw material and the use of excellent units of production. The capital of MENARA
PREFA is sizeable, which helps the company to enlarge its activities and continuously
develop the production systems and add new features.
MENARA PREFA has large lines of production with large and accurate machines. This
gives MENARA PREFA the ability to be very responsive to its customers. All the

21
employees of the company try to work hard and the company also tries to develop worker
skills through the continuous training.

 Weaknesses

The decision making is too centralized and all kinds of decisions are taken by the boss
without any integration of the lower management. Also, the company does not use any
software for managing the inventories and sharing information among all the departments.

 Opportunities

Kelaa Des Sraghna is a small city in the south of Morocco, and like any Moroccan city it is
trying to develop economically. This progress is built on enlarging the agriculture and
building sector. Due to these factors, the construction is reviving in this city. This has created
a large demand for agriculture material and for the construction of buildings. Economic
reveal is an opportunity for MENARA PREFA which produces such materials. The company
mass has a near monopoly in the market of plastic building materials.

 Threats:

Since the sectors of building and agriculture are expanding and are considered as pillars of
the development of Kelaa Des Sraghna, many businesses today have started organizing
companies similar to MENARA (which produce products and material based on plastic).
These new companies will use new machines and innovative designs, so their products will
be of better quality and have additional features. Consequently, this is a threat to the future of
MENARA PREFA and it may loose its monopolist position. There will be fierce competition
necessitating a continuous products development.

1.4 Conclusion

This chapter covers MENARA GROUP sectors of interest, vision and strategy. Also, it
provides a detailed presentation of the company MENARA PREFA by defining its nature
and history, analyzing its organizational structure. Finally, it evaluates the company situation
through a SWOT analysis.

22
Chapter 2

The production Process and Production Units

This chapter presents the existing units Quadra and Poutrelle, Quadra produces concrete
blocks and Poutrelle produces beams. The chapter describes the components of each unit and
the production cycle by defining the different production steps.

2.1 Description of the Order Process from Client to Client

The first contact between the client and the company is done at the level of the sales
department. The client defines his needs by presenting the plans of the building. The sales
department gives the document to the analysis department. The department’s representatives
analyze the plans using two softwares: Autocad and Pc Composant. Then they determine the
quantities needed of beams and concrete blocks, the sizes of units and the way the units will
be placed. This analysis should be done in such a way that it optimises the quantity needed of
each product. After defining the order quantities the sales department prepares a bill for the
client. The client can pay using different payment modes: cash or cheque. Also the company
presents to its clients some facilities in the payment. Once the order is paid the sales
department validates the order and the scheduling responsible can access the documents it
but he is allowed to print only one copy of the order. This is done specially in order to ensure
that the order will be prepared and gathered only once, so each order has only one
representing document. Then the scheduling responsible schedules the order and gives the
delivery date to the client, the delivery may take place the same day or at most within three
days. Finally, after producing the ordered units the scheduling responsible supervises the
gathering of products from the storage and defines the destinations of each truck. The client
receives the products and a document called the plan of positioning that shows him how to
place the bought products.

23
 2.2 Description of the First Unit of Production: Quadra

2.2.1 Definition of Unit Components

The first unit of production Quadra composed of three major parts:

 Concrete Central machine placed outside the plant, responsible for preparing the
concrete mixture according to the entered formulas. It contains the following
components:
1. Silos for cement storage
2. Bins for aggregates
3. Skip
4. Weighing system
5. Mixer
6. Automated conveyors

 Control Room with two operators located between the two production axes so that
the operators could control all the production steps and intervene when it is needed. It
contains:
1. Programmable logic controllers of all the machines existing in the plant
2. Screens for the manual processing of machines
3. Cameras for controlling the concrete central machine and the storage areas

 Quadra machine has two major axes, one for moulding and the second for
palletization. It contains the following components (See Picture Next Page)
1. Press (la presse)
2. Elevator of 12 floors
3. Transporter (transbordeur)
4. Curing Chamber (les étuves)
5. Descender of 12 floors
6. Pliers (les pinces)
7. Bipallet cart (chariot bi-pallete)
8. fork truck
9. Automated transporters and conveyors

24
The Quadra unit manufactures multi-products of different sizes. The machines have a high
Precision, speed and flexibility of operation. Quadra has many remote-controlled
adjustments to facilitate its use and make it flexible. (See Reference 2 and Reference 9)

3
8
4

Control 5
Room
1

6 7

Fig 2: Schema of the Unit Quadra

2.2.2 Description of Production Process Cycle

MENARA uses a variety of local raw material to produce Concrete blocks in thousands of
different sizes and shapes. All these products are made in the same plant by changing the
mould using the same machine QUADRA. The following are the production steps:

 Storing Raw Materials

The main raw materials used to produce Concrete blocks are cement, sand, and aggregate.
These are delivered to the MENARA plant by truck. Cement is pneumatically transferred to
the storage silos. When the sand and aggregates arrive they are stockpiles in the yard, and

25
then transferred as needed to storage bins. The raw material is transferred from stockpiles to
bins by a loader.

 Batching and Mixing

The raw material in the storage bins and silos is transported to a weighing system. Then raw
material is fed into the mixer at the top. Materials are dry mixed in the mixer for several
minutes.
Water is then added to the dry mix according to the humidity levels the water levels are
defined to ensure consistency. Since Concrete are generally moulded using zero slump
concrete, only a relatively small amount of water is added to each batch.. After some mixing,
the consistency is automatically checked and if needed, additional water is added. The batch
is then mixed for five to eight minutes. Once mixed, the concrete is dumped from the bottom
of the mixer.

 Moulding

After a concrete batch is mixed, it is transferred to the Quadra Press, where it is fed into a
mould. Moulds consist of two parts one is the pestle (Pilon) and second is the mould.
Depending on the demand for the particular shape being produced, the mould may be
changed after several hours.
Quadra Press can produce up to 200 planks per hour knowing that the plank can carry up to
30 units according to the unit size. Compacted products are pushed out of the mould onto a
wood plank. At this point, the concrete products are referred to as "green" or uncured. The
pallet of "green" product leaves the QUADRA Press and placed in the elevator.

 Curing

Once the elevator is filled with 24 wood planks of "green" or uncured products, the entire
rack is transported, on the automated transporter to the curing chamber. Generally, the
concrete products are held in the curing area for 24 to 36 hours. The entire curing process
normally takes 24 hours, but could be shortened by adjusting the formulas of concrete or
adding an adjuvant. Products generally achieve 90% of their ultimate strength when 2 to 4
days old.

26
  Palletizing and Storing

Cured concrete products are removed from the curing chamber to Palletizing area, on the
automated transporter, where optional operations take place to create architectural units. The
units are then "cubed" or palletized and placed in the storage. Cubing consists of turning
units and placing them in alternating layers to create an interlocking cube. Cubing is done by
two pliers. The cube of products is placed on a wood pallet and sent to a temporary storage
using an automated cart. And then the products sent to the final storage area using a fork
truck.

27
 The following figure describes the production process across all the parts of the Quadra unit.

Loading the mixer SKIP

Central machine cycle
Mixing concrete Mixer

Transporting concrete carrier

Moulding trough Press Quadra to the press
compression and
vibration

Evacuation of the Belt conveyor

manufactured product
Storage the Elevator
Constitution of Storage of wood agglomerates wood
temporary stock of wood planks with planks at different levels
planks lifting system to constitute lots of
planks

Transhipment of the Automated

planks lots to the curing transporter
chamber

Quadra planks cycle Taking / catch and Curing chamber

hardening of
agglomerates in
the curing chamber
Evacuation of wood planks Wood planks Resumption of lots of Automated
after palletization return transfer trays in the oven and transporter
transfer to descender

Rollover and brushing of Turner of Resumption of wood Descender

empty wood planks boards planks
Palletization of Palettizer
agglomerates

Evacuation of loaded Automatic pallet cart

Pallet Cycle pallets and fork truck

Fig 3: Functioning of the Manufacturing Unit of Concrete Agglomerates

2.3 Description of the second production unit: Poutrelle

28
 2.3.1 Definition of Poutrelle Unit Components

This unit is used for the production of prestressed beams. It offers two types: normal beams
and seismic beams. It consists mainly of: (See Reference 3)
 Concrete central machine: has the same components as the one of Quadra (Centrale à
Béton)
 A programmable logic controller (PLC) that performs all the operations necessary for
the preparation of concrete
 A single channel to make the beams, it transport the mould and guide the steel bars
(Filière)
 Two beam tracks each is about 92 meters (Piste)
 Vibro/distributer machine that distributes the concrete, provide vibration and finalize
the product (Vibro-distributrice)
 Bridge crane that can carry up to 10t, transport the mould and other parts (Pont
Roulant)
 A chainsaw for cutting the strands (Tronçeuneuse)
 A multifunction sweeper that can be used for cleaning the runways, oiling the track
or pushing the heavy materials (Balayeuse)
 Fork track to transport the product.

 Components of a Beam Unit:

The beam units are composed of the following
components:

Fig 4: the Beam Constitutions

2.3.2 Description of Production Process
Cycle

29
 Fig 5: the Production Cycle for Beams

 Draw Steel Bars: (Preparation des fils)

This operation consists of placing the steel bars on the track at a linear way, and entering
them in the combs and keys existing in the two heads of the track. The number of steel bars
varies between 3 and 8. It is defined according to the size of beam. Generally there are three
categories of beams according to their height:
 Beam of 11cm with 3 or 4 bars.
 Beam of 13cm with 3, 4 or 5 bars.
 Beam of 16cm with 6, 7 or 8 bars.
Then, the steel bars attached by pins in both ends, in order to stop its motion.

 Winding Steel Bars: (Mise en Tension)

In each track there are two ends, one mobile and the other fixed. The fixed end contains two
hydraulic cylinders. After fixing the steel bars between the two ends, two types of tension are
applied. The first one is called pretension and is done manually using a pneumatic cylinder.
The second one is called tension and is applied by two hydraulic cylinders placed at the level
of the fixed head. The tension extends the steel bars up to 6%.

 Casting and Heating: (Coulage + Préchauffage)

30
The concrete that has been prepared at the level of the central part is transported through a
bridge to the machine that will assure the casting of concrete on the track. This machine is
responsible for distributing concrete, providing vibration and moulding the products. The
casting is done at a temperature of 50°C.

 Bakeout: (Etuvage)

This operation of bakeout takes three hours and requires a temperature of 70°C. It starts five
hours after the beginning of the steel bar’s preparation and casting. The 70°C temperature
should be maintained during the three hours and the products should be covered by a plastic
cover in order to reserve the temperature and prevent the thermal exchanges with the external
environment. The graph below shows the beginning of bakeout:

Fig 6: Bakeout Cycle

 Detension: (Détension)

The detention of steel bars is insured by the hydraulic cylinders placed at the level of the
fixed head of the track.

 Cutting: (Découpage)

The cutting of the parts that lies between two beams is ensured by the chainsaw. This
machine contains a cutting cylinder that moves horizontally to cut the steel bars.

31
  Release: (Dégagement)

In order to release the beams, a resistance test should be conducted by the laboratory. The
tests are applied to some concrete samples taken during the casting. When the beams acquire
the required resistance then it is released using automated rudders.

In order to produce conforming beams different tests are conducted before starting the
production, during the production cycle after getting the final product.

2.4 Conclusion:

This chapter describes the production units Quadra and Poutrelle of MENARA PREFA. The
chapter defines the components of each unit and its production cycle. The information about
the production cycle of Poutrelle will be used in the chapter six. The attached CD contains
pictures of the production steps in Poutrelle unit.

32
 Part 2
Identification of Problems
and
Suggestion of Solutions

33
 Chapter 3

Production Operations at MENARA PREFA

This chapter presents an analysis of the current production system of MENARA PREFA of
Kelaa Des Sraghna and an identification of the major problems of that system. These
problems are related to:
 Layout
 Delivery of products
 Planning for raw material and work in process inventory

3.1 Product Design

MENARA PREFA is producing products which are standards that need not to be customized
to satisfy clients. So, their competitive advantages are durability and quality of the product
that is why the production process is given more importance than the design of the product.
The company is using predefined and fixed designs.

3.2 Location

MENARA PREFA is located in Kelaa Des Sraghna, it has a strategic position because of its
proximity to the source of aggregates and sand that are used as raw material, and it is located
at 17 Km far from the supplier Carriére et Transport Menara. This reduces the cost of
production. Also, it is monopolist in this city there are no competitors in this sector. In
addition to this, the economy of Kelaa Des Sraghna is based on the construction sector which
that makes the demand for MENARA PREFA products very high.

3.3 The Production Process

The cycle of production of concrete blocks and beams is automated from receiving the raw
material to the storage of final product. The second chapter of this report gives a detailed
description of the production cycle.

34
 3.4 Inventory

The units do not need special conditions for storage, they are stored in the reserved space.
The units are not hold for a long time in the inventory. So, the inventory does not cost much
.
3.5 Supply Chain

Generally, the supplier’s selection is done according to some criteria such as: delivery time,
price and availability of needed quantities. MENARA PREFA deals with fixed suppliers, the
demand of raw material is approximately steady because the production is done at a stable
rate. The company has two major suppliers:
 Holcime: delivering cement to the company.
 Carriére et Transport Menara: provides MENARA PREFA by the aggregates
and sand.
The company has an important client basis. Generally the clients are spread over Kelaa Des
Sraghna and its region such as: Labrouj, Bni Mellal, Attawiya and Benguerir.

3.6 Job Design

MENARA PREFA has two kinds of employees, the first kind is full time employees who
work as operators and supervisors and the second kind is employees outsourced from the
company “Manpower” who work according to contracts of six months, they perform jobs
such as cleaning, household and unloading trucks.
Machines of production used are automated. The operators intervene in three tasks: the
control of machines from the control chamber, the mould changing and the cleaning of
machines and space. There are two shifts of nine hours each. All employees need to abide by
some rules for their security.

3.7 Plant Capacity

By capacity we mean three areas:

 The production capacity: the daily production is about 60.000 pieces of concrete
blocks, around 7920 meters of beams, 2000 meters of the borders of sidewalks and
3000 square meters of pave. The company produces about 30 shapes of pave.

35
  The delivery capacity: the company can deliver at an average of 6000 meters of
beams of different sizes each day and 40.000 of concrete blocks thanks to its large
park capacity, which has 22 truck s of 6 to 15 cubic meters.
 The storage capacity: the capacity of the storage spaces very high because we use it
in three dimensions by constituting levels of concrete blocks or beams. The rigidity
of units protects them from any damage.

3.8 Quality

After obtaining the certification ISO 9001-2008, MENARA PREFA should stay market
competitive, satisfy its customers and maintain its highly prestigious position in the market.
This is why MENARA PREFA relates its existence to providing good quality products, so
quality should be implemented and respected in any part of the working process. The
company believes that an ongoing import in quality helps making and increasing:
 Customer loyalty and repeat business
 Market share
 Operational efficiencies
 Flexibility and ability to respond to market opportunities
 Effective and efficient use of resources
 Cost reductions
 Competitive advantages
 Participation and motivation of human resources
 Industry reputation
 Control on all processes
The company is adopting a process approach. The topology of this approach has three major
processes:
 Implementation processes: these processes intervene during the product making or
service delivery, such as: hollow block making, beams making, sales process and
delivery process
 Support processes: these processes provide the resources (human, material,
financial…) to all the other processes, such as: procurement process, information
systems process, maintenance process and human resources process
 Management processes: these processes provide supervision and guidance to the
other processes (strategy, policy, deployment of objectives …), Such as: quality

36
 policy, internal and external communication and management, and continuous
improvement
o The processes are characterized by:
 Each process has a folder that is used to record the results of the reviews
 The measurement and monitoring of the processes effectiveness is done by
calculating indicators and having internal audits.
 The frequency of internal audits is determined according to the importance of the
process
 The performance indicators should be consistent with the purpose of the process.
 The frequency of indicators calculation is defined according to the nature of the
indicator.
o The process review takes place each six month and consists of:

 Data analysis
 Follow-up the actions of the previous review
 Recommendations for improvement
 Action plans for future improvement
 Analysis of the effectiveness of the improvement actions
The SPC (Statistical Process Control) consists of the calculation and analysis of the
performance indicators and the analysis of the sampled elements to identify whether the
products are conforming to the norms or not. The quality characteristics that should respect
the norms are height, length, width, planarity, aspect and texture, porosity and resistance.
Resistance is tested two times, the first test is conducted 2 days after the production and the
second after 28 days. Because the concrete finish its reactions and take its final resistance 28
days after its production, if the product does not achieve the required resistance in 28 days it
is considered nonconforming. Tests cover all the production cycle starting from the raw
material to the final product, these tests differs according to the kind of product and the
experienced characteristic. All the tests are conducted in the laboratory using very developed
machines and tools.

The sampling and tests are done as follow:

Lot size Sample size Sample destination
<= 20000 6 3 tests in 2 days/ 3 tests in 28
days
20000 to 40000 15 6 test in 2 days/ 6 tests in 28 days
37
 and 3 tests for porosity

40000 to 60000 21 9 tests in 2 days/ 9 tests in 28

days and 3 tests for porosity
60000 to 80000 30 12 tests in 2 days/ 12 tests in 28
days and 6 tests for porosity

Table 1: Sampling Division

3.9 Customer Service and Product Reliability

One of the most important values of MENARA PREFA is providing clients with all what
they need when and where they need it. Also, they provide client with a follow up. This
follow up is related to the damaged products. During the delivery the responsible is asked to
mention the number of damaged units in the delivery and the client is asked to sign it. After
that, the scheduling department analyses the reasons of these damages. If the product is
damaged because of bad quality of the product or damaged during the unloading or the
product delivered is different from what the client has ordered, the company replaces all the
damaged units or changes the inappropriate units.

3.10 Layout

The layout of the plants is done according to the process order. The machines are installed
according the order of production steps. But this layout causes a problem at level of mould
changing there is no enough space to move the conveyor and the mould.

3.11 Delivery Process:

Creating a trade off between responsive lead times and effective costs is a challenge for
MENARA PREFA in delivering the final product. And the objective is to will maintain the
high responsiveness and cut the delivery costs.

38
The commercial chief is responsible for preparing the delivery programs at a daily basis. The
decisions are about the date and time of delivery. Orders are served according to their entry
dates using a FIFO approach and according to other factors such as having a good
relationship with the company. The trips arrangement is done according to other
considerations such as:
 The availability of products, some times the ordered products are not available to be
delivered in the morning. So it is programmed for the afternoon.
 The complexity of loading, the difficult loadings should not be done at night because
of the night shift is composed of only 3 people and the conditions of loading are not
favourable as much as within the day.
 The cost of vehicles location: the sum of daily trips revenue should exceed the cost of
trucks location. This is taken into considerations during the delivery programming.
 Steps of delivery programs making:
 Classification of the validated orders according to their dates
 Calculation of the orders quantities in term of palettes and beams
 Assignment of drivers and orders for each trucks

3.12 Conclusion

This chapter analyses the operations of MENARA PREFA of Kelaa Des Sraghna. It
evaluates the plant layout, Quality processes, customer service, product liability and delivery
process. This analysis is important for the coming chapters, it gives a clear idea about all the
production operations of the current system.

39
Chapter 4

The Mould Changing problem

One of the major problems at MENARA PREFA is the mould changing problem. This
chapter will analyse the plant layout, describes the current steps of mould changing and will
provide a set of solutions to this problem. The first solution is modifying the plant layout.
The second solution is reviewing the aggregate planning and the last solution is applying
SMED method to rearrange the mould changing steps. The most feasible solution is the use
of SMED, the chapter provides an estimation of the profit gained by applying this solution.

4.1 Problem Identification

The mould changing is one of the major problems of the company. It takes at least 45
minutes, needs to stop the production and requires four employees.

4.1.1 Layout Analysis:

In order to change the mould the work should stop for 45 minutes, and there is a need for
four employees. Also, at many times the wall next to the press is damaged. So, there are
wastes at all levels. This problem is a result of the bad layout of the press space, there is not
enough space to use the motorized handling devices. In addition to this all of the steps of
mould changing are done on-line the fact that increases the cost of product changing.

40
 Fig 7: the Old Layout of the Press Space

4.1.2 Steps of Mould Changing

Steps of changing the mould: (See the mould changing steps before using SMED file on the
attached CD)

1. Prepare and Clean the mould that will be used

2. Stop the machine from the Control Room
3. Insert the cart to move the two parts and put them next to the bridge crane
4. Release the first part of the used mould
5. Transportation of the first part of the used mould to the outside of the plant
using a fork truck
6. Release the second part of the used mould
7. Transport the second part of the used mould using a bridge crane
8. Transport the second part of the used mould using a fork track to outside
9. Transport the first part of the new mould from outside the plant using the fork
truck

41
 10. Transport the first part of the new mould next to the press using a bridge
crane
11. Insert the first part of the new mould to its reserved place in the press
12. Transportation of the second part of the new mould from outside the plant to
the press by the fork truck
13. Insert the second part of the new in its place
14. Set up the machine to restart the production

Initial timing of the mould changing steps:

Step Number Required Time in Minutes

1 Done before stopping the machine
2 5
3 1
4 2
5 3
6 3
7 3
8 4
9 9
10 3
11 3
12 4
13 2
14 3

Table 2: Timing of the Mould Changing Steps

The cost of the mould changing can be calculated as follows:

Cost of employees: this operation needs four employees, knowing that the cost of employee
per hour is 15 MAD so the total cost of labour force in this operation is:
(15 * 45) / 60 = 11.25
4 * 11.25 = 45 MAD

42
Cost of non produced units: stopping the production of a machine that produces 170 planks/
hour for 45 minutes will incur a cost of:
(170 * 45) / 60 = 128 Planks

This means that the company loss is:

Product Number of units Units per 45 Price per unit Total profit lost
per plank Minutes (in MAD) (in MAD)
H8 28 3584 2.25 8064.00
H12 20 2560 3.6 9216.00
H16 14 1792 4.35 7795.20
H20 12 1536 5.56 8540.16
A7 30 3840 3.05 11712.00
A10 24 3072 3.4 10444.80
A15 16 2048 4.4 9011.20
A20 12 1536 5.2 7987,20
Sum of lost
72770.48
profits

Table 3: Lost Profit for Each Type of Concrete Units

The Average lost profit can be defined as:

Sum of lost profits/ Number of product types = 72770.48 / 8 = 9096 MAD

Finally, the total cost of mould changing is:

Cost of labour Average profit of non Total cost in MAD

In MAD produced units in MAD Per type of product

45 9096 9141

Table 4: Total Cost of Mould Changing

43
 4.2 Solutions

4.2.1 New Layout

This idea will solve the problem because the employees will be able to transport the two
parts of the mould on the same time. But the responsible does not accept it because it will
generate noise since the door is next to the press that provides lot of noise. Also, having a
new door is costly because all the walls and doors are designed at a way that isolates the
noise and vibration.

Fig 8: the New Layout of the Mould Changing Space

4.2.2 Review the Aggregate Production Planning

In order to reduce the cost of mould changing, the company needs to compare the setup cost
to the holding cost. Create two scenarios and select the best. This solution will reduce the
number of times the mould needs to be changed because there will be schedules for
production and storage done at a weekly basis. The holding cost of the company includes the
opportunity cost, required space, materials, and labor to operate in the space; interest on
money invested in the inventory and space, and other direct expenses. Actually, the holding
cost is neglected comparing it to the set up cost but if the company has scheduled the mould
changing at weekly basis the holding cost will increase because the opportunity cost or the
44
cost of reduced responsiveness. This solution can not be implemented because of the
company wants to create a trade off between its effectiveness and its responsiveness, by
applying this solution the cost of production will be reduced, the effectiveness increased but
the lead time will increase and the responsiveness will be less.

4.2.3 Application of SMED (Single Minute Exchange of Dies):

Another solution could be implemented using the Single Minute Exchange of Dies concept,
this part will define the SMED and define the steps of its implementation.
Single Minute Exchange of Dies is a methodology developed by Shigeo Shingo between the
late 1940's and 1960's. Don't be put off by the system's age, this is still just as powerful as it
was more than 50 years ago. The aim of applying the SMED methodology is to
systematically reduce the time lost in production for machine set-ups from hours (or
sometimes days!) to nine minutes or fewer. It applies to almost every production situation -
machining, moulding, painting, assembly, fabrication, forming, casting, food processing,
bottling, etc, etc. SMED is based on doing the majority of work before stopping the machine,
for the mould changing problem this means that the operations related to the mould changing
should not be done off-line. (See Reference 5, Reference 6, Reference 7 and Reference 8)
SMED has several benefits such as:
 SMED Methodologies Improve Staff Morale
 SMED means you can respond faster to customers
 SMED Set-ups Are Safer
 SMED Increases Production Output
 SMED Reduces Overtime Costs

The SMED Process:

1. Observe the changeover. This is best done in a team, with one or two people timing the
changeover, and defining the activities in broad blocks. These timers should break the work
down into around ten activities. At the same time, several fact collectors will note every
detail of what is done. Post-It notes and fast writing help here:
 For short changeovers (less than 2 hours), observe the live activity
 For medium-length changeovers (2-4 hours), use a camcorder, and then
observe the recording, fast-forwarding through the repetitive / inactive
times.

45
  For longer changeovers, either use video footage on fast-forward, or focus
on one part of the changeover only.
2. Match the facts (recorded on Post-Its) to the activities as defined by the timers.
3. Separate out the external and internal activities. This should save about 15-20% on
the original changeover time.
4. Brainstorm ways to externalize the remaining internal activities.
 For example, if you need to wait for a die to heat up, can you pre-heat it?
 If you need to set cutter offsets, can this be done using a gauge rather than
a real workpiece in the machine?
 If you need to adjust things, could the settings be recorded, so that there's
no more trial and error?
5. Streamline the remaining internal activities.
 Can you replace bolts with clamps?
 Can you replace screw fixings for hoses with bayonet fittings?
 Do all your bolts need to be so long?
 Do you need all those different threads and bold head sizes? There'll be
much less time wasted in looking for the right tool if they're all the same.
6. Streamline the external activities. It's no good having a nine minute set-up with a two
hour preparation period
 Move tool storage to be adjacent to the machine.
 Make shadow boards for the hand tools (spanners, screw drivers, etc) that
are used during the set-up.
 Ensure that set-up checks take priority over routine in-process QC.
7. Document & Control the new process so that everyone knows how to do it.
 No more 'little black books' with the settings in - write them on the side of
the machine.
 Measure changeover time performance.
 Ensure that any remaining actions have an owner, due date, and review
time set.
To apply the concept of SMED to the mould changing, we define some new steps for the
mould changing operation and we arrange the others as follows: (See the file the mould
changing steps after using SMED file on the attached CD)
1. Prepare and clean the mould that will be used this step is already done on-line

46
2. Transport the first part of the new mould from outside the plant
3. Transport the same part next to the press using the bridge crane
4. Position the part next to the press
5. Stop the machine
6. insert the cart to move the two parts and put them next to the bridge crane
7. Release the first part of the used mould from the press
8. Transport the first part of the used mould to the outside of the plant using a
fork truck
9. Release the second part of the used mould from the press
10. Transport of the second part of the used mould using a fork truck
11. Insert the first part to its reserved place in the press
12. Transport of the second part of the new mould from outside the plant to the
press using the bridge crane
13. Insert the second part in its place
14. Set up the machine to restart the production

47
New timing of the mould changing steps:

Step Number Time in Minutes

1 Done before stopping the machine
2 Done before stopping the machine
3 Done before stopping the machine
4 Done before stopping the machine
5 1
6 1
7 2
8 3 the two steps are done
9 simultaneously
10
11 6 the three steps are done in parallel
12
13 2
14 2

Table 5: Timing of the Mould Changing Steps Using the SMED

The new cost of mould changing can be calculated as follows:

Cost of employees: this operation needs the intervention of four employees, knowing that the
cost of employee per hour is 15 MAD this means that the total cost of labour force in this
operation is:
(15*17) / 60 = 4.25
4 * 4.25 = 17 MAD

48
The cost of non produced units: stopping the production of a machine that produces 170
planks/ hour for 45 minutes, means that the company lost:

Product Number of units Units per 17 Price per unit Total profit lost
per plank Minutes (in MAD) (in MAD)
H8 28 1372 2.25 3087.00
H12 20 980 3.6 3528.00
H16 14 686 4.35 2984.10
H20 12 588 5.56 3269.28
A7 30 1470 3.05 4483.50
A10 24 1176 3.4 3998.40
A15 16 784 4.4 3449.60
A20 12 588 5.2 3057.60
Sum of lost
27857.48
profits

Table 5: Lost Profit for Each Type of Concrete Units after Using SMED

The Average lost profit can be defined as:

Sum of lost profits/ Number of products = 27857.48 / 8 = 3482 MAD

The total cost is:

Cost of labour in Average profit of non Total cost in MAD

MAD produced units

17 3482 3499

Table 6: Total Cost of Mould Changing Using the SMED

49
 4.3 Conclusion

In order to solve the problem of mould changing, three solutions have been proposed. The
first one is to open a door next to the mould reserved place in the press but it was refused
because the cost of its implementation. The second is to schedule the mould changing time
at a weekly rate and manage the inventory at a way that will satisfy the customer’s needs, but
this solution will affect the responsiveness of the company. The third and last solution is
reordering the steps of mould changing by applying the SMED strategy.
This solution will reduce the cost of mould changing by:
9141 – 3499 = 5642 MAD
The mould is changing once each day and the company works 30 days each month, so the
monthly saving will be:
5642.13 * 30 = 169.263 MAD

50
Chapter 5

Raw Material Management and Production Cycle Stops

One of the major problems that affect the effectiveness of the production in MENARA
PREFA is the frequent stops of the production cycle. These stops are mainly due to
unavailable raw material, wet aggregates, or fell down of machines. The proposed solution
for the first problem is to make forecasts for the demand in order to define the needed
quantities of raw material. This chapter will presents and analyse data about the consumption
of raw material, production and demand levels. Also, it will define the anticipated demand
for this year using the seasonal factors method and the predictable requirements of raw
material using consumption ratios. For the second problem that is wet aggregates we re-
estimate the lead time. Finally, for the maintenance problem we propose a maintenance
schedule. (See Reference 4)

5.1 Presentation of Data

5.1.1 The Production Levels

The production over year 2008 for both concrete blocks (unit) and beams (linear meter).

Month
JAN FEV MAR APR MAY
Product
Concrete Blocks in
843 964 916 854 1 164 280 1 215 244 991 114
UNITS
Beams in LM 0 76 030 88 265 95 615 105 877

Table 8: Production Levels of 2008

JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC SUM

852 415 965 242 1 095 124 1 026 278 1 039 540 944 612 688 268 11 742 935

107 834 108 070 109 520 151 178 164 709 160 726 132 742 1 300 567

Table 8: Production Levels of 2008

51
Graphically, the production levels of Quadra can be represented as follows:

Production of Quadra

1 400 000,00
1 200 000,00
1 000 000,00
level

800 000,00
Concrete units
600 000,00
400 000,00
200 000,00
0,00 MAR
JAN

JUN

AUG
APR

OCT

DEC
MAY

NOV
JUL

SEP
FEB

Months

Fig 9: Production Levels for Concrete Blocks

From the curve we can point up that the production of concrete blocks is not stable, it
changes progressively from high levels to low levels and vice versa. This high variability is a
result of the unstable demand.

Graphically, the production levels of Poutrelle can be represented as follows:

Production of BEAMS (ML)

180 000,00
160 000,00
140 000,00
120 000,00
level

100 000,00
BEAMS (ML)
80 000,00
60 000,00
40 000,00
20 000,00
0,00
JAN

JUN
MAR

OCT
APR

DEC
AUG
JUL
MAY

NOV
SEP
FEB

Months

Fig 10: Production Levels for Beams

From the graph we can illustrate that the beams production is gradually increasing, the graph
starts from zero due to the fact that the Poutrelle unit has started its production on February
2008. The production levels are not stable and this is related to the demand variation.

52
 5.1.2 Consumption of Raw Material

For Quadra:

The table below presents the raw material consumption for Quadra. There are four major
types of raw material as follows CPA55 refers to cement, S1 refers to sand of type 1, S2
refers to sand of type 2 and G3/8 refers to aggregates.

Month
JAN FEB MAR APR MAY
Comsumption

CPA55 (KG) 1 041 760 1 678 228 1 478 240 1 563 820 1 199 300

S1 (KG) 2 620 457 2 787 523 3 573 215 3 762 436 3 331 835

S2 (KG) 2 400 542 2 470 656 3 348 084 3 288 463 2 504 764

G3/8 (KG) 4 093 800 4 153 160 5 838 100 5 632 400 4 186 600

Table 9: Consumption of Quadra

JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC SUM

1 049 010 1 229 740 1 324 278 1 115 232 1 562 760 1 072 390 779 670 15 094 428

2 960 336 3 090 717 4 121 817 3 339 812 3 145 446 2 447 950 2 582 145 37 763 693

2 378 063 2 842 412 2 171 033 2 735 397 2 321 833 2 909 050 2 177 475 31 547 777

3 716 800 4 697 700 5 620 670 4 173 600 3 677 900 3 552 500 1 626 895 50 970 125

Table 9: Consumption of Quadra

Graphically the consumption of raw material can be presented as follows:

Consumption levels

Consumption of Quadra

7 000 000,00
6 000 000,00
5 000 000,00 CPA55 (KG)
4 000 000,00 S1 (KG)
3 000 000,00 S2 (KG)
2 000 000,00 G3/8 (KG)

1 000 000,00
MAR

AUG
APR

DEC
JAN

JUN
MAY

OCT

NOV
SEP

0,00
FEB

JUL

Months

Fig 11: Consumption of Quadra

53
The first unit of production Quadra needs four types of raw material at different quantities
such as two types of sand, cement and aggregates. The quantities needed of each material
depend on the concrete formula. From the graph we can prove that aggregates are used at
very high levels, then sand and finally cement.

For Poutrelle:

The table below presents the raw material consumption for Poutrelle. There are six major
types of raw material as follows CPA55 refers to cement, S refers to sand of type 1, S2 refers
to sand of type 2 and G3/8 refers to aggregates, steel bars, BV40 refers to the used adjuvant
and couture refers to a small steel threads used in the production of seismic beams.

Month
JAN FEB MAR APR MAY
Consumption
CPA55 (KG) 0 282 550 317 259 312 320 345 400

S1 (KG) 0 115 310 108 620 129 465 127 200

S2 (KG) 0 477 720 558 800 589 050 614 300

GR3/8 (KG) 0 633 060 703 170 753 160 785 980

Steel Bars. (KG) 0 37 962 46 761 50 685 54 609

PLASTIMENT BV40
0 1 245 1 086 1 167 1 219
(KG)

COUTURES (KG) 0 0 0 0 0

Table 10 : Consumption of Poutrelle

JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC SUM

354 340 349 870 352 105 541 241 604 204 617 497 448 928 4 525 714

136 140 131 670 133 905 222 800 248 250 226 800 155 000 1 735 160

625 900 620 100 623 000 993 120 1 082 479 1 108 220 818 920 8 111 609
10 054
802 900 794 440 798 670 1 212 360 1 306 590 1 322 040 942 500
870
55 917 55 263 55 590 92 385 100 243 103 858 73 354 726 627

1 210 1 215 1 212 1 873 2 079 2139.50 1 555 13 864

0 2 666 1 860 23 504 33 026 11 400 10 550 83 006

Table 10 : Consumption of Poutrelle

Graphically the consumption of raw material can be presented as follows:

54
 Consumption of Poutrelle Unit
Consumption levels
1 400 000,00
1 200 000,00 CPA55 (KG)
SM (KG)
1 000 000,00
SC (KG)
800 000,00
GR3/8 (KG)
600 000,00
FIL DE PRECONT. (KG)
400 000,00
PLASTIMENT BV40 (KG)
200 000,00 COUTURES (KG)
0,00

MAR
JAN

JUN

AUG

OCT
APR

DEC
MAY

NOV
JUL

SEP
FEB

Months

Fig 12: Consumption of Poutrelle Unit

The second unit of production Poutrelle needs different types of raw material such as two
types of sand, cement steel bars, oil, chemical products and aggregates. The quantities
needed of each material depend on the concrete formula. From the graph we can prove that
aggregates are used at very high levels, then sand and finally oil.

5.1.3 Demand Levels

The demand of raw material for both concrete units in units and beams in linear meter is:

Month
JAN FEV MAR APR MAY
Demand

CONCRETE Blocks
876218 909785 1109255 1154544 936702
in UNITS

BEAMS in LM 0 51782 105339 142877 122823

Table 11: Demand Levels of 2008

JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC SUM

896583 1086570 1049504 1050250 930753 878534 729111 11607809

98937 105468 137418 151712 154927 190256 115103 1376641

Table 11: Demand Levels of 2008

Graphically the demand can be presented as follows:

55
 Demand of Concrete units

1400000

1200000

Level 1000000

800000
Concrete units
600000

400000

200000

DEC
JUN

OCT
FEB

SEP

NOV
JUL
MAR

AUG
APR
JAN

MAY
Month

Fig 13: Curve of Concrete Blocks Demand

The demand curve shows that the demand of MENARA PREFA in term of concrete blocks
is not stable. It is characterized by seasonal variations and this is related to different factors.
For the first period of the year the demand starts law because of the cold weather then it
increases from February to April, after that the demand decreases because of the harvest
period. In the period of June to August the demand increases. In the period between
September and October the demand decrease because of “Ramadan” to get back to its high
values in November and finally because of the feast of “Aladha” the demand decreases in
December.

Graphically the Demand of beams can be presented as follows:

Beams Demand (ML)

200000

150000
Level

100000 Beams (ML)

50000

Month

Fig 14: Curve of Beams Demand of 2008

From the curve we illustrate that the demand for beams is variable, at beginning of the year
the demand was null because there was no production, starting from February the demand

56
starts its increase gradually. Between May and July the demand decreases because of the
harvest season. After that the demand rises in the period between august and November to
reach its maximum in November with a level of 190.256 linear meters of beams, this
increase is due to the fact of having demands of “ADOHA” group. In December and because
of the feast of ALAMADA the demand decreases.

5.2 Problem Identification

The analysis shows that there are several problems that prevent MENARA PREFA of having
a continuous production cycle and on optimal processing time. Those problems are
principally related to:
 The planning of raw material quantities: the previsions for raw material are
done arbitrarily not according to the demand forecasts and analysis.
 The percentages of sand humidity: the high percentages of sand humidity
forbid the concrete mixture of achieving the required density.
 The maintenance issues: Problems of equipment are solved when they occur,
there are no preventive schedules of maintenance. The machine maintenance
is done when there is a failure, lack of raw material or problem of equipment.
There is a lack of preventive maintenance and this lack results in a huge need
of corrective maintenance because always problems are identified later.
 The supplier is not engaged totally in satisfying the company needs: the
supplier is not capable of serving all the needed raw material when and where
it is needed. It gives priority to other clients this is why there are shortages of
raw material.

5.3 Demand Forecasting Solution

In order to solve the raw material problem; avoid the shortages of raw material and ensure
continuous production and delivery, the company needs to build its forecasts of raw material
on the demand, schedule maintenance and review the lead time. The coming section contains
a suggested method for making demand forecasting.

5.3.1 Anticipated Demand for 2009

For Quadra:

57
 The previous charts show that the demand is not stable. It has several variations, so we will
use the seasonal factors method to make the demand previsions as follows: (See Reference 4)
PERIO DEMAN MOUVIN CENTRE CENTRED RATI FACTO SEASONAL DESEASONA
SUM AVG
D D G AVG (4) D MA O R FACTORS L DEMAND
1,018 1,000
1 876218 1021489 1,166 9,168 4,0749 875960
7 3
0,958 0,941
2 909785 1012451 1022966 1,124 8,626 3,8336 966762
4 1
0,933 0,916
3 1109255 1027572 1020011 0,920 8,402 3,7343 1210072
6 7
10,46 1,163 1,142
4 1154544 1012451 1024271 1025921 0,889 4,6520 1011023
7 0 0
4,073 1,000
5 936702 1027572 1018600 1021435 1,090 936426
7 3
0,941
6 896583 1024271 992340 1005469 1,121 952733
1
0,916
7 1086570 1018600 1020727 1006533 0,926 1185325
7
1,142
8 1049504 992340 1029269 1024998 0,977 919041
0
1,000
9 1050250 1020727 977260 1003264 0,955 1049941
3
0,941
10 930753 1029269 182278 579769 0,623 989043
1
0,916
11 878534 977260 791517 0,901 958381
7
1,142
12 729111 182278 685643 0,940 638475
0
This table shows how to calculate the seasonal factors in order to define the concrete blocks
demand of the year 2009.

Table 12: Expected Demand of 2009 for Concrete Units

The graphical representation of the anticipated demand for concrete blocks is:

Concrete Blocks

1400000
1200000
Demand Level

1000000
800000
Concrete Blocks
600000
400000
200000
0
JAN

JUN

JUL

OCT
MAR

APR

DEC
AUG
MAY

SEP

NOV
FEV

Month

Fig 15: Demand of Concrete Blocks for 2009

The demand for 2009 is going approximately the same way as the demand of the previous
year 2008, except from an increase in July and this is explicable because generally there is a
rise of demand of raw material before the Month of Ramadan that will starts in August.
58
 For Poutrelle:

The table below shows the anticipated beams demand calculated using the seasonal factors
method. Because of the Poutrelle unit has started its activities on February 2008, the values
of demand and production for January 2008 are null. This is why we are going to use the
demand data of January 2OO9 to calculate the estimated demand and the results will cover
January 2010 also.
SEASONA
PERIO DEMAN MOUVIN CENTRE CENTRED FACTOR MULTIPLIE DESEASONA
RATIO SUM L
D D G AVG (4) D MA S D FACTORS L DEMAND
FACTORS
2 51782 207907 4,0151 14,85 1,6503 6,6013 1,1158 46408
3 105339 422821 207907 1,9737 12,82 1,4240 5,6958 0,9628 109414
4 142877 98937 313613 2,1950 13,14 1,4600 5,8399 0,9871 144743
5 122823 422821 105468 102203 0,8321 12,44 1,3819 5,5277 0,9343 131454
6 98937 98937 137418 121443 1,2275 5,9162 1,1158 88669
7 105468 105468 151712 144565 1,3707 0,9628 109548
8 137418 137418 154927 153320 1,1157 0,9871 139213
9 151712 151712 190256 172592 1,1376 0,9343 162374
10 154927 154927 115103 152680 0,9855 1,1158 138848
11 190256 190256 637484 376294 1,9778 0,9628 197616
12 115103 115103 264487 2,2978 0,9871 116607
1 177198 637484 264487 1,4926 0,9343 189651

Table 13: Expected Demand of 2009 for Beams

Graphically the anticipated demand of beams can be represented as follows:

Beams

250000

200000
Demand Level

150000
Beams
100000

50000

0
FEV MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC JAN
Month

Fig 16: Demand of Beams for 2009

59
The demand of 2009 is continuously increasing and any differences between the demand and
production will be absorbed by the stock management.
5.3.2 Predicted Raw Material Consumption

The following table calculates the consumption of raw material per unit for the concrete
blocks and beams.

Raw material type Total Units produced Ratio= consumption/number

consumption of concrete of units produced
of Quadra blocks
CPA55 (KG) 15 094 428 11 742 935 1,29
S1 (KG) 37 763 693 11 742 935 3,22
S2 (KG) 31 547 777 11 742 935 2,69
G3/8 (KG) 50 970 125 11 742 935 4,34
Raw material type Total Units produced Ratio= consumption/number
consumption of beams of units produced
of Poutrelle
CPA55 (KG) 4 525 714 1 300 567 3,48
SM (KG) 1 735 160 1 300 567 1,33
SC (KG) 8 111 609 1 300 567 6,24
GR3/8 (KG) 10 054 870 1 300 567 7,73
FIL DE PRECONT. (KG) 726 627 1 300 567 0,56
PLASTIMENT BV40 (KG) 13 864 1 300 567 0,01
COUTURES (KG)
83 006 1 300 567 0,06

Table 14: Raw Material Consumption Ratios

The table shows that the consumption of the first unit of production Quadra is mainly based
on sand and GR3/8 at high levels, same thing for the second unit Poutrelle, except that there
is a considerable rate of consumption of cement. So sand and rushed rocks are the most
important raw materials in the production of MENARA PREFA, but unfortunately there are
severe problems at the level of management of raw material, the production stops twice a
week for four or five hours because of the problems of raw material. These problems are
related to shortages of stock or are related to wet aggregates.

60
For Quadra:

By multiplying the ratios of consumption per unit of concrete blocks by the demand of
Quadra we get the predictable consumption of raw material as follows:

PERIOD CPA55 (KG) S1 (KG) S2 (KG) G3/8 (KG)

1 1129989 2820592 2356333 3801668
2 1247123 3112973 2600589 4195746
3 1560992 3896431 3255093 5251711
4 1304220 3255494 2719652 4387840
5 1207990 3015293 2518987 4064091
6 1229026 3067800 2562852 4134861
7 1529069 3816746 3188524 5144310
8 1185562 2959311 2472219 3988636
9 1354424 3380810 2824342 4556744
10 1275865 3184718 2660526 4292446
11 1236312 3085987 2578045 4159374
12 823633 2055891 1717499 2770984
Total 15084205 37652048 31454661 50748412

Table 15: Expected Raw Material Consumption for Quadra

Graphically the predictable consumption for Quadra is:

Raw material consumption for 2009

6000000
5000000
4000000 CPA55 (KG)
Level

S1 (KG)
3000000
S2 (KG)
2000000 G3/8 (KG)
1000000
0

Month

Fig 17: Expected Raw Material Consumption for 2009 for Quadra Unit

61
 For Poutrelle:

By multiplying the ratios of consumption per unit of concrete blocks by the demand of
Quadra we get the predictable consumption of raw material as follows:
FIL DE
CPA55 SM GR3/8 PLASTIMEN COUTURES
PERIOD SC (KG) PRECONT
(KG) (KG) (KG) T BV40 (KG) (KG)
(KG)
2 161500 61723 289586 358734 25988 464 2784
3 380761 145521 682744 845771 61272 1094 6565
4 503707 192509 903199 1118867 81056 1447 8685
5 457461 174834 820275 1016142 73614 1315 7887
6 308569 117930 553295 685412 49655 887 5320
7 381227 145699 683580 846806 61347 1095 6573
8 484462 185153 868690 1076118 77959 1392 8353
9 565060 215957 1013211 1255147 90929 1624 9742
10 483192 184668 866414 1073298 77755 1388 8331
11 687704 262829 1233124 1527572 110665 1976 11857
12 405791 155087 727625 901369 65300 1166 6996
1 659985 252236 1183421 1466000 106204 1897 11379
Total 5479418 2094146 9825164 12171237 881746 15745 94473

Table 16: Expected Raw Material Consumption for Poutrelle

The tables above define the quantities needed of each type of raw material for each month
concerning the Poutrelle Unit. Those quantities have been anticipated using the forecasted
demand.

Graphically the predictable consumption for Poutrelle is:

62
 EXpected Consumption for 2009

1800000
1600000 CPA55 (KG)
1400000 SM (KG)
1200000 SC (KG)
Level 1000000
GR3/8 (KG)
800000
600000 FIL DE PRECONT (KG)
400000 PLASTIMENT BV40 (KG)
200000 COUTURES (KG)
0

JUN

JAN
OCT
JUL
MAR

APR

DEC
AUG
MAY

NOV
SEP
FEV

Month

Fig 18: Expected Raw Material Consumption for 2009 for Poutrelle Unit

5.4 Reviewing Lead Time

The problem that still needs a solution is that the sand used as raw material can not be used
directly after its delivery. This problem is related to the nature of sand, it absorbs water and
liberate it after its storage. The concrete formulas should not exceed a predefined level of
humidity, so when the sand is wet the concrete is too moist and even if the percentage of
added water is zero the concrete does not reach the required density. In order to solve this
problem, there is a need for reviewing the lead time, the time needed for the sand to dry,
which is about four hours, should be taken into consideration by adding it to the lead time.
So, there will be no wastes or waiting times.

5.5 Creating Schedules for Maintenance

The company should prepare schedules for preventive maintenance, so that all the problems
related to machines and equipment could be identified and solved earlier and without causing
interruptions to production cycle. The maintenance should be done at a weekly basis and for
all the machines of the plant. It will take six to seven hours but it will prevent the company
from several hours of cycle stops.

5.6 Changing the Supplier

MENARA PREFA needs to select a new supplier for aggregates, this selection should be
based on the following criteria:

63
 o Delivering the right quantities of needed raw material
o Having shortest lead time
o Delivering good quality products
o Providing materials at appropriate prices

5.7 Conclusion

This chapter has provided an analysis of the actual production capacity and demand levels of
the concrete blocks and beams. Also, it defines the production issues that are mainly linked
to maintenance, wet aggregates or insufficient raw material quantities. Besides, this chapter
suggests some solutions to solve those problems starting by reviewing the lead time,
improving the supplier’s selection, applying forecasting methods to define future demand
and defining the right quantities needed of raw material and improving the maintenance
schedules.

64
Chapter 6

Scheduling Problem

The unit Poutrelle consists of 2 similar tracks, 2 teams of workers, 12 employees per each
team and different machines. The usage of these resources is not optimal. This chapter will
analyse the current line of work in Poutrelle and suggest an optimized schedule that will
assign right people to right tasks.

6.1 Problem Identification

6.1.1 Production Cycle Steps for One Track:

There are two tracks, the production is running on a closed cycle, this section will give the
production steps for one truck such that the same steps are repeated for the other truck. The
steps are ordered as follows:
(See Poutrelle production steps file on the attached CD)
1. Uncovering the final product
2. Cooling of the product and preparation of lorries and detention
3. Cutting of beams
4. Release of final product
5. Preparation of the sweeper machine, oiling and brushing of the track
6. Preparation of keys and combs, entering the steel bars at the level of fixed head and
at the level of mobile head
7. Pretension and tension of steel bars
8. Preparation of machines and mould
9. Casting of concrete

The required time and employees per track are as follows:

65
 Step number Employees required Time needed in minutes
number
1 1 15
2 4 15
3 2 10
4 4 60
5 2 20
6 3 15
7 2 15
8 3 30
9 6 120

Table 17: Division of Employees and Time over Steps of Production

6.1.2 The Closed Production Cycle for Two Tracks:

The following chart shows the production steps over the two trucks combined. Generally
there are two hours between the beginning of the production cycle of the first truck and the
beginning of the production cycle of the second truck. The daily operations start by
uncovering the first truck and keep working over it for two hours then uncovering the second
truck. The uncovering of the second track corresponds to the step of entering steel bars for
the first track. Starting from this step the production operations overlap. The chart shows that
there is a hard dependency between the handling of machines and the casting of the second
track, this is due to the fact that there is only one machine of each type (Vibro-distributer,
single channel and mould). Thus the casting of the second track could not start unless the
casting of the first track is completed and the machines are cleaned and placed in the second
track to start the casting.
Numbers 1 in the graph indicates the beginning of operations in track one.
Number 2 in the graph indicates the beginning of operations in track two.

66
 1

Fig 19: The Closed Production Cycle for the Two Tracks

6.2 Suggested Ideas:

The heuristics we studied could not be used to schedule the operations of the Poutrelle unit.
Because there are many jobs that needs to be scheduled over multiple machines and over two
tracks with respect to the processing order. This means that the processing of jobs is
sequential and parallel.
In order to schedule the production operations such that the cycle time is reduced, we will try
to schedule the majority of tasks in parallel. This needs a modification of the technical work
conditions, an elimination of the improper habits of work, and a rearrangement of the small
parts of work.

67
Modification of the technical work conditions:
 Reducing the time needed for the bakeout step from 6 hours to hours, and this is
possible especially that the products need less time of bakeout during the summer.
 Changing the combs each 6 months, this will reduce the time needed for the tension
because there will be no steel bars release.
Elimination of the improper habits of work:
 The same employees should switch between the product release and the steel bars
entering tasks.
 The entry of steel bars should be assigned to 5 people, 1 for the combs fixation
and 4 for the entering the steel bars.
 Ordering the products from the biggest to the smallest, in order to facilitate the
release and reduce the waiting time. (Products are positioned during the release at
a decreasing way).
 Rearrangement of the small parts of work:
 Cleaning and handling the machines from the first track to the second during the
time of tension.
 Positioning the wood bars simultaneously with the cutting.
 The steel bars entering will be done in the space reserved between the two tracks.
 Creating employees shifts:
 Actually, there are 2 teams each works 9 hours, but the number of employees
needed in each period of the day is not the same. So it is better to create shifts and
assign the number of employees of each shift according to the tasks completed at
that period.

The division of tracks over 48 hours:

The objective of this chapter is to reduce the cycle time so that the number of produced
tracks increases. Actually the company produces four tracks per 24 hours. We tried to make
them six tracks over 24 hours but it was impossible because of time constraints. Accordingly,
we will schedule tracks over 48 hours. The table below shows the division of tasks over the
cycle time of one track which is ten hours.

68
 Task Time in hours Required number of employees
Release of beams + preparation 3 hours 3 to 4
of steel bars+ cleaning the track
+ pretension + tension
Casting 2 hours 6
Machines cleaning + Bakeout 1 hour 3
Bakeout 4 hours 0

Table 18: Required Time and Employees for Preparing One Truck

The figure below shows the production cycle of each track over 48 hours. The cycle time of
one truck is ten hours starting from the uncovering step to the machines handling step. We
will start the cycle from 5am because the first shift of employees starts at that time.
In this figure each colour represents a track of 10 hours. This means that ten tracks can be
prepared over 48 hours. The cells coloured in red refers to the casting time. We will need this
information later on to schedule shifts of employees because the casting is the only task that
requires the presence of at least 6 employees. So the hours where there is casting should be
known.

Fig 20: Division of Production Operation Over 48 hours in Poutrelle Unit

69
From the table we illustrate that the 5 th track has a cycle time of only 8hours, but this
problem can be solved by reducing 20 minutes of the cycle time of each track. And this is
possible through the implementation of the suggestions above that will help in creating
overlaps between the production steps and reduce the cycle time by 30 minutes. This will
insure an additional 80 minutes which will be used in preparing the 5 th track and the total
cycle time for this track will be 9 hours and 20 minutes which are quite enough.

Overlaps of tasks in the two tracks over 48 hours

The figure below shows the tracks prepared over 24 hours. There is a time gap of two hours
between the beginning of production cycle in track one and the beginning of production
cycle in track two. The figure shows the overlaps of operations between the five tracks
prepared in track number one and the five tracks prepared in track number two.

Fig 21: Overlaps of Tasks in the Two Tracks over 48 hours

Actually, there are two teams of employees each one composed of 12 employees. The first
works from 5pm to 2am and the second works from 5am to 2pm. Since we have proposed a
solution of working in a closed production cycle over 48 hours, we need to reschedule the
employee’s shifts. In the actual scenario 12 employees exists over 9 hours which is a loss.
Because some times there are tasks that requires only three employees. The figure below
shows the needed number of employees in each hour according to the tasks that is scheduled
in this hour. The division is as follows:

 If the work is done over one truck and is not casting: the required number is 3
employees
 If the task is casting and is done over one truck: the required number is 6 employees

70
  If the work is over two tracks and one of the two tasks is casting: the required number
If 9 employees
 If the tasks overlap between the two tracks and are not casting: the required number
is 6 employees

Fig 22: Shifts Division Over 24 hours

Since the number of employees is varying each hour, we have assigned shifts according to
the needed number of employees per hour. So that the production cycle will be closed and
the reduced time will be used in the production of an additional track.
The problem that still needs to be discussed is that there are 5 employees who know how to
use the vibro-distibuter machine called machinists and 5 employees who know how to use
central concrete machine called centralists. This means that one employee of each type
should be present during the period of casting because those machines are used during the
casting step. In order to solve this problem, we need to assign schedules to those employees
at a way that will insure the presence of one machinist and one centralist at each period of
casting.

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 There will be five shifts as follow:
Shift Timing
1 7am to 4am
2 5pm to 2am
3 3am to 12am
4 2pm to 11pm
5 11pm to 7am

Table 19: Division of Shifts

6.3 Additional Comment

 The unit layout forbids the overlap of the release of the product and the preparation
of steel bars at the level of the fixed head, because the release is done at the direction
from which the preparation of steel bars starts. So the employees need to wait until
the end of the release of final product in order to start the preparation of steel bars.
This causes a waste of 20 minutes.

Door

Fig 23: Schema of the Poutrelle Track

 In order to release those suggestions correctly and insuring favourable and

constructive results, there is a need for employees motivation believing that any idea
for change is constructed at the top level of the company hierarchy by the top
managers but implemented at the lower layer of the company hierarchy by
employees. If those people are not encouraged and motivated to put into practice
these new habits of work those ideas will never give the expected results.

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 6.4 Profit Estimation

This solution will help the company in producing one additional track per day. This
estimated profit is the profit of the additional track which is:
1 track = 2000 linear meter
1 meter = 23.15 MAD
2000 * 23.15 = 46.300MAD per day
This means that there is a profit of:
46300 * 30 = 1.389.000 MAD per month

6.5 Conclusion:

This chapter has presented the problem of production operations scheduling in the Poutrelle
unit and the goal was to reduce the cycle time and produce one additional track. Since all the
heuristics that we have studied could not be used to schedule those operations, I have
proposed some modifications of the technical work conditions, elimination of the improper
habits of work, rearrangement of the small parts of work. This helps in releasing the
objective of producing one additional track and releases a profit of 1.389.000 MAD per
month.

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Conclusion

This document reports on my internship. It describes the production operations of the

company and discussed the tasks I performed it is comprised of two important parts. The first
part included a presentation of MENARA GROUP, Detailed description of MENARA
PREFA through the presentation of its departments, SWOT analysis and the depiction of the
two existing production units. The second part identifies the problems of the current
production system and suggests solutions to those problems.

The work we did is identifying the different problems of the production system in the
company MENARA PREFA and providing solution to those problems under the objective of
maximizing the profit while reducing all the associated costs. This work is shown in the
second part of this report, this part is composed of three chapters, the first chapter analyses
the problem of mould changing and provides a solution that will release a profit of 169.263
MAD per month. The second chapter identifies the problem of raw material management and
suggests solution related to the management of maintenance, lead times and suppliers’
selection. This chapter also provides a detailed analysis of production and demand and a
calculation of the expected demand for the year 2009. The last chapter analyse the
production operations at the Poutrelle Unit and presents ameliorations to the existing system
at the level of personal and operations management, those ameliorations will help the
company increasing its production capacity and releasing a profit of 1.389.000 MAD per
month.

I was looking forward to work over the improvement of the delivery programs through the
modelling of the problem. My goal was to define an optimized delivery path where the costs
will decrease and the profit will increase of course without affecting the company objectives
of being responsive, but because of time constraints this was impossible. I hope that the
coming interns will succeed in solving this problem.

I spent three months in MENARA PREFA, the period of time was not long enough but what
I gained was very important, and at different levels (communication, controlling workers and
machine, scheming administrative work and taking the right decision on the right time). I
have obtained work experience which will help me in the future. This knowledge and
experience would never have been achieved without the nice staff of MENARA PREFA who

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helped me and gave me plenty of important information and let me feel as though I am a
member of the company.

My experience at MENARA PREFA enabled me to believe more in strong will and the hard
work one needs in order to achieve one’s accomplishment. I recognized also that in order to
attain the success and create a competitive advantage, the floor shop should be involved,
empowered and motivated. Because, even if the strategies and decisions are done at the level
of the top managers it is applied by the employees.

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References

1. Brochures of MENARA GROUP.

2. Catalogue of Quadra,
3. Catalogues of Poutrelle machines.
4. Historical reports of production and demand of MENARA PREFA.
5. http://net1.ist.psu.edu/chu/wcm/smed.htm
6. http://wcm.nu/smed.html
7. http://www.smed.info/
8. Production and Operations Analysis book, 4th Edition International Edition 2001 by
McGraw-Hill Higher Education, STEVEN NAHMIAS.
9. Web site of Quadra: http://www.Quadra-concrete.com/home-en.phtml
10. www.groupe-menara.com
11. www.menara-prefa.com

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Annexe

Types of Products and Sizes:

Product Designation Dimensions in cm (Height x Length x Width)

H8 20 x 52 x 8
H12 20 x 52 x 12
H16 20 x 52 x 16
H20 20 x 52 x 20
H25 20 x 52 x 25
A7 20 x 50 x 7
A10 20 x 50 x 10
A15 20 x 50 x 15
A20 20 x 50 x 20
A25 20 x 50 x 25

Pictures of Products:
Pave Stones Sidewalk Borders

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 Agglomerates Concrete Hollow Block

Autoblocking Cobblestones Prestressed Beams

Glossary of Technical Words

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 Adjuvant: a chemical product that is added to another to improve the characteristics,
it is incorporated during the mixing of concrete at a strength of less than 5%. There
are different types of adjuvant: prize retardants, water reducers and plasticisers.
 G3/8: type of aggregates, it is called grains of rice because it has the shape of rice.
3/8 is a designation given by the company.
 S1 and S2: types of sand, the differences between the two types are related to level of
sand washing. The first type is washed three times and the second is washed one
time.
 Central Unit: a machine composed of different parts used for preparing the mixture of
concrete.
 SKIP: Part of the central unit, responsible for carrying the raw material and deposit it
in the mixer part.
 CPA55: Cement used as raw material for the concrete preparation.
 PLASTIMENT BV40: type of adjuvant used to increase the fluidity of concrete unit
to make it handy.

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