Grants and Contributions:

Grant or Award spanning more than one fiscal year (2017-2018 to 2018-2019).

One of the main challenges that Essence Cabinets in particular and the offsite construction domain in generalx000D
are facing is a production capacity problem. This includes gaining knowledge of the number of product typesx000D
that can be produced in a given time span and the number of resources available in a given production system.x000D
A better understanding of the production capacity available, as well as the capacity required for each productx000D
type, will empower the industry partner to optimize resource allocation, leading to improved time efficiencyx000D
due to higher resource utilization, and to satisfy due dates for each job. This research will be carried out in sixx000D
stages in order to analyze and streamline the production line, identify production bottlenecks, and determine ax000D
production capacity model: (1) study historical data to establish cabinetry system of systems; (2) benchmark thex000D
existing production process; (3) develop a comprehensive simulation model of the production line; (4)x000D
determine the available production capacity; (5) develop KPIs for measuring the man-hour requirements perx000D
product type; and (6) establish a strategy for future research and development. Opportunities for developing ax000D
drafting and design tool for kitchen cabinets will be explored, aiming to help the industry partner to maximizex000D
its resources. The highly qualified personnel working on this project will gain both direct industry experiencex000D
and theoretical expertise in the areas of lean, data analysis, construction planning, simulation, and projectx000D
management techniques in the course of this project. In terms of benefits to Canada, one of the most commonx000D
challenges that construction manufacturers face is capacity planning, which includes gaining better insight intox000D
the maximum number of product types that can be produced in a specific mix, in a given time span, andx000D
considering available resources. The Canadian modular manufacturing industry thus stands to benefit fromx000D
research that applies automated modelling tools and construction management principles to the planning,x000D
scheduling, and monitoring of the production process.