Meeting demand variation using flexible U-shaped assembly lines

Nowadays, companies must be able to provide a higher degree of product customisation to fulfil the needs of the increasingly sophisticated customer demand. This can only be achieved by having flexible production systems, able to cope with extended product ranges and with the uncertainty and variabil...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of production research 2009-07, Vol.47 (14), p.3937-3955
Main Authors: Simaria, A.S., Zanella de Sá, M., Vilarinho, P.M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
ant colony optimisation
Applied sciences
assembly line balancing
assembly lines
assembly planning
assembly systems
balancing
combinatorial optimisation
Customization
Exact sciences and technology
Facilities planning
Flexible manufacturing systems
Flows in networks. Combinatorial problems
Heuristic
Inventory control, production control. Distribution
Operational research and scientific management
Operational research. Management science
Optimization algorithms
Security systems
Studies
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Summary:Nowadays, companies must be able to provide a higher degree of product customisation to fulfil the needs of the increasingly sophisticated customer demand. This can only be achieved by having flexible production systems, able to cope with extended product ranges and with the uncertainty and variability of demand in the current market environment. The purpose of this paper is to present a contribution related to facilities design that accounts for this issue, by presenting flexible U-shaped line configurations for an assembly system. In this type of line, whenever the production volume or product mix changes, the only modification in the line will be the number of operators working in the line, as the physical workstations remain fixed. The relevance of the problem is stated and a heuristic procedure, based on ant colony algorithms, developed to address this problem is described. The results of the application of the proposed procedure to an assembly line of a major manufacturer of electronic security systems are reported.
ISSN:0020-7543
1366-588X
DOI:10.1080/00207540701871044