Moving towards a Pearl Chain – DAF Trucks NV
Overview
| Company Name / Department | DAF Trucks NV |
| Contact Person | Edwin van Walraven |
| Location | Eindhoven |
| Study programme(s) | Management, Operations & Logistics |
| Community | EHTC |
| Start Date | 1 February 2021 |
| Housing arranged by company | No |
|
Compensation |
€450 per month plus travel allowance |
Company Description
DAF Trucks NV is a Dutch company and subsidiary of the American PACCAR Inc. Its core activity is the development, production, marketing, sales and service of trucks for other organizations (Business2Business). Each truck is customized, based on the ‘build to order’ principle.
Project Description
At DAF, we want to move towards a Pearl Chain Model. In this concept, the production sequence of orders is determined beforehand and should be set in stone. As a consequence, materials can be delivered by our suppliers via the Just-In-Sequence (JIS) method. This will improve our planning reliability for suppliers as well as possibilities for optimization of (safety) stock.
However, due to the high customization (i.e. a complex Bill-Of-Materials) and a complex supply chain network, the road towards the Pearl Chain Model is challenging for a company like DAF.
More specifically, the current Assembly Production Control model at DAF is currently set up too high-level (i.e. on a daily level) and not transparent enough to be able to implement a Pearl Chain Model.
Goals of the Project
The main goal of this project is to design a Pearl Chain Model for an automotive company like DAF, based on the latest insights in literature and best practices.
DAF will use this model as input for a possible future system implementation.
Deliverables
- Define the Pearl Chain Model
What are the latest insights (both in literature as well as best practice) about the concept Pearl Chain Model and the Just-In-Sequence planning method?
- Insight and review current process
What are the current challenges in the Assembly Production Control model at DAF to prevent the implementation of a Pearl Chain Model according to deliverable 1?
- (Re)design
What is the Pearl Chain Model for an automotive company like DAF, taking into account the current challenges but also the possible opportunities, that should be implemented in the future?
Final deliverable:
Visualization of a conceptual, evaluated, Pearl Chain Model for DAF.
Essential Student Knowledge
Preferably a student with Operations Management & Logistics background, so a strong affiliation with Logistic principles.
More information: escf@tue.nl
