Towards a Time Data Library to Enable Process Optimization in Engineer-to-Order Industries: The Case of Control and Switchgear Manufacturing

This study addresses the crucial role of Time Data Management (TDM) in switchgear and control cabinet manufacturing, sectors integral to industrial automation and characterized by custom-made or small-batch production. The research highlights the challenges in accurately forecasting production times in these domains, where products often have unique, non-repetitive characteristics. This study systematically categorizes production to ensure precise TD collection and analysis. A possible approach to logically divide control cabinet production into distinct manufacturing areas and workflow structures is presented, facilitating a multiple case study method and a comparative TD analysis across different companies. The contribution of this study is threefold: providing detailed workflow structures for an under-researched industry, offering empirical data for academic and practical assessment, and enabling efficient TDM in ETO industries, traditionally hampered by process measurement difficulties and reliance on expert time estimates. This research promises significant advancements in TDM, ensuring more accurate production planning, and cost calculation, and enhancing market competitiveness in switchgear and control cabinet manufacturing.