Estimating the Impact of Waste Reduction through Simulation Case Study of a Car Maintenance Company

Companies today face a major challenge when it comes to maintaining a balance between two key factors: Customer satisfaction and efficiency of their processes. The constant changes in the market, due to both internal and external factors in the company's business areas, increase the demands and expectations of customers. Therefore, the symbiotic relationship between their satisfaction and the way companies operate should be based on a sustainable foundation that enables them to meet deadlines, innovate and stand out from the competition. Today, the voice of the customer is more important than ever. That's why we try to implement strategies aimed at delivering the best product and/or service by using process optimization tools. In this context, Lean Thinking stands out, whose tools and methods allow companies to create value for their customers through continuous improvement strategies, using fewer resources and eliminating waste along the production chain. This work follows the identification of a need for improvement in the performance of the workshop of the collision department of a car maintenance company with the aim of reducing rework and increasing the efficiency of production processes. In the course of the work, the principles and tools of the Lean philosophy were used, which, together with the collection and analysis of process data on site and with the help of computer simulation models, allowed the identification and quantification of improvement opportunities for the current operating condition of the workshop.