Improving effectiveness at regional repair centers through simulation and customer satisfaction measurements

Abstract

A simulation model is developed in this research which models the operating characteristics of the Pump Regional Repair Center (PRRC) at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Washington. This simulation model provides an output consisting of the average pump turn around time (TAT) for different pump types and the queue length and labor utilization at each workstation. These outputs are used to assess the capacity of the PRRC and its effect on customer satisfcation, while demonstrating the benefits of using simulation modeling as a decision support tool. The results of the simulation show that the PRRC has the capacity to successfully accomplish all surface ship pump maintenance without significant backlogs in the awaiting maintenance queue. A measure of effectiveness (MOE) for the PRRC is its timeliness in response to its customer's demands. Using the simulation model the PRRC managers can continuously improve customer satisfaction by reallocating resources to reduce pump TATs and provide a more accurate promised delivery date (PDD).