IMPLEMENTATION PROJECT MANAGEMENT OF A ROBOTIC MANUFACTURING CELL USING THE CRITICAL PATH METHOD

Abstract

This paper proposes the application of the critical path method in the development and implementation of a new manufacturing process using Microsoft Project. For the analysis of the implementation management of the new manufacturing structure, a concrete case was taken from a car parts manufacturing company in Oradea. The first step was to identify all the activities necessary for the implementation of the project. For each activity the dependency relationships (predecessors of each activity) were established. All the human and material resources needed to implement the project were identified with the help of the project manager and the technical team. For each resource, costs (fixed and variable, as appropriate) were established. These data were entered into Microsoft Project software. The use of Microsoft Project highlighted future problems that may arise in the implementation of the project (shortage of resources, critical activities, implementation time, ...). The use of this program leads to the optimization of the implementation project by concrete identification of the critical path, reduction of implementation time, visualization of costs. This paper proposes a method to optimize the implementation design of the new manufacturing system structure. This approach helps production managers to change/implement a new manufacturing structure, track implementation milestones and visualize costs. This method is an effective tool for project implementation. The paper presents the advantages of using these motions (critical path) in the modernization/change of manufacturing structure using Microsoft Project.