Three Rivers Pottery Studio is a small artisan pottery business that provides community members with a creative space to make and fire clay pieces such as bowls, vases, and decorative art. Jamie, the sole operator, manages all aspects of the business including customer check-ins and kiln operations. The studio operates under strict constraints—Jamie works Monday through Saturday between 8 AM and 6 PM but can only load or unload the kiln after the front desk closes. Kiln firing processes are batch operations requiring substantial run and cooling times, and the kiln can only be fired with one type of fire (bisque or glaze) per batch.
The primary operational challenge is to develop a simulation model that optimizes the front desk’s business hours and Jamie’s kiln loading and firing schedule. The goal is to maximize the number of pottery pieces completed and taken home by customers without exceeding an average of 50 working hours per week. To meet customer demand and operational feasibility, the model must ensure that Jamie’s departure time exceeds 6:03 PM on no more than one percent of working days. The study involves balancing customer access with labor limits, kiln batch scheduling, and store closing policies to improve overall efficiency in a highly constrained small business environment.
By analyzing arrival rates, activity durations (such as hand-building, throwing wheel use, glazing), and kiln operation times, the simulation guides decision-making on daily opening hours and firing schedules. This case study provides valuable insights into managing constrained small-scale batch processing systems with limited labor resources, demonstrating effective use of simulation modeling to improve operational planning and customer service in artisan studios.