REDUÇÃO DO TEMPO DE CICLO DA MANUTENÇÃO QUINZENAL EM FROTA FLORESTAL DE VEÍCULOS PESADOS POR MEIO DE ESTUDO DE TEMPOS E SIMULAÇÃO

Abstract

Efficient management of heavy automotive maintenance is critical for the competitiveness of forestry operations, in which unscheduled downtime increases opportunity costs and reduces operational availability. This study proposes improvements to the biweekly preventive maintenance (P15) process in an automotive workshop for a forestry fleet in Mato Grosso do Sul, through the integration of time and motion study, qualitative diagnosis, and discrete event simulation. Thirty-five P15 maintenances were timed over a 12-week period (June-August/2025), identifying an observed average time of 115 minutes. Qualitative diagnosis via Ishikawa Diagram with 15 interviewees indicated method and layout as the main causes of inefficiencies (67% of mentions). The Arena simulation model was parameterized with normal distributions N(μ,σ) derived from empirical data and statistically validated (simulated mean time 115.02 min vs. observed 115.00 min; p = 0.787). The proposed scenario integrated layout reorganization (total path reduction from 418.9 m to 183 m), implementation of standardized operating procedures, and reordering of inspection sequence. Results demonstrated a 25.45% reduction in average cycle time (from 115.02 min to 85.75 min; p < 0.001), decrease in Box P15 utilization from 81.0% to 58.9%, and elimination of waiting time. Sensitivity analysis with ±10% variation in critical parameters confirmed robustness of results. The study indicates technical feasibility of implementation and offers a replicable methodological protocol for similar heavy automotive maintenance operations.