Wind Tunnel Testing – Carbon Bike Frames
As an equipment provider for several Olympic cyclists, Carbon Bike Frames (CBF) operates a very expensive wind tunnel facility near San Diego, CA. The wind tunnel is used to find the best compromise between ergonomics and aerodynamics for the cyclist. Presently, more and more cyclists are interested in CBF’s services, so the company considers building a second facility. However, given the enormous costs of the wind tunnel, they also want to explore a more effective use of the current facility. An initial data collection reveals that:
The standard fitting time for a cyclist is 2h. On average, the wind tunnel is used for 7 fitting procedures a day (new customers or customers who want a refit). The wind tunnel is available 24 hours a day.
CBF offers a free second session should the customer not be entirely satisfied with their bike fit (internally also known as “rework sessions”). About 2 out of 5 customers come back for such a “refit,” which takes the same amount of time as the initial fit.
20 minutes of the each fitting procedure is spent on setting up the bike on a stationary trainer and getting the athlete ready. Almost all of this could happen outside the wind tunnel, i.e. while another fitting procedure is still going on.
About one day out of 10, the wind tunnel is down for maintenance or repair.
What is the OEE of the wind tunnel? Recall that the wind tunnel can be used 24h a day.