Line feeding optimization for Just in Time assembly lines: An application to the automotive industry

The performance of mixed-model assembly lines used in sectors such as the automotive industry depends on the availability of a large number of components that have to be supplied to the line on time and at minimum cost. In such settings, components may have different features such as volume, weight,...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of production economics 2016-04, Vol.174, p.54-67
Main Authors: Sali, Mustapha, Sahin, Evren
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Assembly
Assembly lines
Automobile industry
Automobiles
Automotive components
Automotive engineering
Automotive industry
Business administration
Costs
Engineering Sciences
Feeding
Humanities and Social Sciences
In-plant logistics
Integer programming
Just in time
Kitting
Line feeding
Line stocking
Material handling
Mathematics
Optimization techniques
Sequencing
Studies
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Summary:The performance of mixed-model assembly lines used in sectors such as the automotive industry depends on the availability of a large number of components that have to be supplied to the line on time and at minimum cost. In such settings, components may have different features such as volume, weight, bill of material coefficient, etc. Additionally, a given component may have several alternative variants among which a single one is used in the assembly of end products. Each variant is thus characterized by a varying degree of usage rate. Hence, the diversity of parts requires the selection of the best assembly line feeding mode that aims at minimizing the average total operating cost which mainly consists of labor costs associated with parts preparation before assembly, transportation to the line, picking operations during assembly, as well as parts storage cost. This paper proposes an optimization model that assigns each individual component to the most efficient line feeding mode among three alternatives which are line stocking, kitting and sequencing modes. The developed mixed integer program is applied to a first tier supplier plant in the automotive sector. Based on this model, insight is gained on the trade-off to be considered when deciding the more appropriate line feeding mode for each individual component and how system parameters impact this trade-off.
ISSN:0925-5273
1873-7579
DOI:10.1016/j.ijpe.2016.01.009