Simulation modeling and analysis of labour-intensive small and medium-sized enterprises for choosing the best alternative production system

To stay ahead of open competition, labour-intensive small and medium-sized enterprises, such as Leather, Textile and Garment, resorted to choose the best alternate production system that were popular in other sectors. This paper discusses a simulation as a decision making tool to choose the best alternate production system for leather small and medium-sized enterprises (LSMEs). The simulation models were developed and analyzed for each production system. The simulation is used to evaluate the relative performance of each production system. Based on the analysis, a conceptual Hybrid Production System (HPS), built on some of the fundamental concepts used for implementing Total Quality Management (TQM) and Lean Manufacturing (LM) is proposed for labour-intensive small scale industry.