Batch Production

Unilever (Best Foods Mayonnaise)

We have all seen recipes for mayonnaise. The ingredients are very simple: eggs, vegetable oil, maybe some lemon juice, vinegar, salt and pepper. If you set your mind to it, it would be a simple matter to make up a batch in your kitchen. But what if you needed to make more than 1 million pounds per day? NovaSim developed a discrete event simulation model in SIMUL8 to help Best Foods do just that. 

Challenges

• Finding a way for the ingredient preparation system to keep up with increased production
• Creating efficient production schedules to meet demand while minimizing losses due to changeovers
• Managing dedicated equipment while trying to meet all product demands including package sizes ranging from 8 onces to 2000 pound totes

Simulation Elements

• Dozens of products made from many different recipes
• Kanban production methodology
• Managing several ingredients 
• Daily production schedules with changeover and cleaning requirements
• Batch mixing operations feeding surge tanks connected to packaging lines