The assembly line feeding problem: An extended formulation with multiple line feeding policies and a case study

2020 ◽  
Vol 222 ◽  
pp. 107489
Author(s):  
Reinhard Baller ◽  
Steffen Hage ◽  
Pirmin Fontaine ◽  
Stefan Spinler
Author(s):  
Moretti Emilio ◽  
Tappia Elena ◽  
Limère Veronique ◽  
Melacini Marco

AbstractAs a large number of companies are resorting to increased product variety and customization, a growing attention is being put on the design and management of part feeding systems. Recent works have proved the effectiveness of hybrid feeding policies, which consist in using multiple feeding policies in the same assembly system. In this context, the assembly line feeding problem (ALFP) refers to the selection of a suitable feeding policy for each part. In literature, the ALFP is addressed either by developing optimization models or by categorizing the parts and assigning these categories to policies based on some characteristics of both the parts and the assembly system. This paper presents a new approach for selecting a suitable feeding policy for each part, based on supervised machine learning. The developed approach is applied to an industrial case and its performance is compared with the one resulting from an optimization approach. The application to the industrial case allows deepening the existing trade-off between efficiency (i.e., amount of data to be collected and dedicated resources) and quality of the ALFP solution (i.e., closeness to the optimal solution), discussing the managerial implications of different ALFP solution approaches and showing the potential value stemming from machine learning application.


2021 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Diego Michael Cornelius dos Santos ◽  
Bruna Karine dos Santos ◽  
César Gabriel dos Santos

Abstract: Due to technological advances, trade politicies and society's consumption patterns, competitiveness among companies has increased considerably, requiring practices that provide a constant improvement in production indicators and product quality. In this context, the use of Toyota Production System tools, also known as Lean Manufacturing, have a fundamental role in the elimination of waste and continuous improvement of industrial production levels. Thus, this work aims to implement a standardized work routine among employees working in a market of parts in an Agricultural Machinery industry, which lacks production methods. To represent this situation, real data were used, which correspond to the needs of the assembly line, and which served as the basis for the analysis and implementation of a new work routine. The results obtained enabled the creation of a standardized work routine, which was obtained by balancing activities between operators and eliminating activities that did not add value to the product.


2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 638-663
Author(s):  
Mohd Fadzil Faisae Ab. Rashid ◽  
Ahmad Nasser Mohd Rose ◽  
Nik Mohd Zuki Nik Mohamed ◽  
Fadhlur Rahman Mohd Romlay

Purpose This paper aims to propose an improved Moth Flame Optimization (I-MFO) algorithm to optimize the cost-oriented two-sided assembly line balancing (2S-ALB). Prior to the decision to assemble a new product, the manufacturer will carefully study and optimize the related cost to set up and run the assembly line. For the first time in ALB, the power cost is modeled together with the equipment, set up and labor costs. Design/methodology/approach I-MFO was proposed by introducing a global reference flame mechanism to guide the global search direction. A set of benchmark problems was used to test the I-MFO performance. Apart from the benchmark problems, a case study from a body shop assembly was also presented. Findings The computational experiment indicated that the I-MFO obtained promising results compared to comparison algorithms, which included the particle swarm optimization, Cuckoo Search and ant colony optimization. Meanwhile, the results from the case study showed that the proposed cost-oriented 2S-ALB model was able to assist the manufacturer in making better decisions for different planning periods. Originality/value The main contribution of this work is the global reference flame mechanism for MFO algorithm. Furthermore, this research introduced a new cost-oriented model that considered power consumption in the assembly line design.


Author(s):  
V. Saravanan ◽  
S. Nallusamy ◽  
Abraham George

Productivity is an important parameter for all small and medium scale manufacturing industries. Lean manufacturing emerged as production strategy capable of increasing productivity by identifying and eliminating non value added activities. This article deals with productivity improvement in a pre-assembly line of gearbox manufacturing company with a case study using lean concepts like process flow chart, process Gantt chart and time study. This paper illustrates using a case study on how a value stream mapping has to be carried out in a planet carrier pre-assembly line. Value stream mapping and work standardization are the key tools used in lean manufacturing and lean transformation. It makes the process smoother, helps in reduction of lead time and ultimately increasing the productivity. From the observed results it was found that, the productivity has been increased from 7 pieces to 10 pieces in the first step assembly when the proposed VSM was implemented. The second step processing time was reduced by the execution of proposed value stream mapping with TAKT time of 126 minutes and 165 minutes of processing time for demand of 10 pieces were achieved and the overall processing time has been reduced by about 24%.


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