The Solution: Production Scheduler

Client: A major solar panel producer in the United States.

The Challenge

Producing solar panels relies on complex conveyor networks. The accompanying animation illustrates a simplified example.

One of the main bottlenecks is the lamination stage. Here, the challenge is to ensure a continuous and timely supply of panels to each laminator (represented by the colored columns in the animation).

Each process requires exactly four panels to be available in front of the laminator. If even one panel is delayed, the lamination cycle is missed, leading to wasted resources and reduced production throughput.

The Objective

Our primary goal is to route each incoming panel to one of the laminators and synchronize the movement of all panels to optimize the flow and increase overall throughput.

The Solution

We developed an artificial intelligence model based on mathematical optimization. This model is capable of determining the movement of each panel in real-time, avoiding collisions, minimizing congestion, and respecting all operational rules.

Expected Results

  • Fewer idle laminators due to panel shortages.

  • An approximate 5% increase in the throughput of processed panels.