An ECRS-based line balancing concept: a case study of a frozen chicken producer

2014 ◽  
Vol 20 (5) ◽  
pp. 678-692 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pornthipa Ongkunaruk ◽  
Wimonrat Wongsatit

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to improve the productivity of a large-sized frozen chicken manufacturer in Thailand. It analyses the production process based on work study principles and identifies the bottleneck operation. It develops three models for the chicken preparation process. Design/methodology/approach – First, analyse the current production system by collecting the cycle time of all operations in the production process based on work study principles. Then, design the production network and identify the bottleneck operation. After that, three methods – based on line balancing (LB), theory of constraints, and JIT concepts or ECRS (eliminate, combine, rearrange and simplify) – are proposed and implemented in the actual production line. Findings – With the ECRS concept, the authors implement combine by combining two stations into one station, such as handling and weighing, or weighing batter and mixing it with chicken. Then, Simplify is implemented at job E, or transporting chicken using a cart instead of walking. This method can improve the cycle time and reduce the number of employees. It can increase the line efficiency by up to 94.20 per cent, reduce the number of employees by 14 persons, and reduce the labour cost by 356,160 baht/year. Originality/value – Most agro-industry manufacturing processes are labour intensive. Thus, production LB can help increase productivity and reduce costs. The authors found that the case study company designed the production line without aligning it with the production network. A simple improvement can be made by adjusting the sequence of the work. In addition, the current production line was not lean. Implementation of the ECRS concept to improve production can reduce the waiting time and simplify the job.

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashish Yadav ◽  
Shashank Kumar ◽  
Sunil Agrawal

PurposeMulti-manned assembly lines are designed to produce large-sized products, such as automobiles. In this paper, a multi-manned assembly line balancing problem (MALBP) is addressed in which a group of workers simultaneously performs different tasks on a workstation. The key idea in this work is to improve the workstation efficiency and worker efficiency of an automobile plant by minimizing the number of workstations, the number of workers, and the cycle time of the MALBP.Design/methodology/approachA mixed-integer programming formulation for the problem is proposed. The proposed model is solved with benchmark test problems mentioned in research papers. The automobile case study problem is solved in three steps. In the first step, the authors find the task time of all major tasks. The problem is solved in the second step with the objective of minimizing the cycle time for the sub-tasks and major tasks, respectively. In the third step, the output results obtained from the second step are used to minimize the number of workstations using Lingo 16 solver.FindingsThe experimental results of the automobile case study show that there is a large improvement in workstation efficiency and worker efficiency of the plant in terms of reduction in the number of workstations and workers; the number of workstations reduced by 24% with a cycle time of 240 s. The reduced number of workstations led to a reduction in the number of workers (32% reduction) working on that assembly line.Practical implicationsFor assembly line practitioners, the results of the study can be beneficial where the manufacturer is required to increased workstation efficiency and worker efficiency and reduce resource requirement and save space for assembling the products.Originality/valueThis paper is the first to apply a multi-manned assembly line balancing approach in real life problem by considering the case study of an automobile plant.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-29
Author(s):  
Asariella Findya Octa Pertiwi ◽  
Rahmaniyah Dwi Astuti

The Assembly line is the assembly process that is carried out based on the order of the production process in the production line. The problem that is often found in assembly lines is bottleneck conditions where some material piled up at the station. This situation indicates an imbalance in the production line. The improvement of the work method is one of the effective ways that can increase line efficiency. This study presents an increase in line efficiency by improving working methods in a washing machine assembly line of PT.X. The study aimed to increase the value of line efficiency by improving work methods. In this study, improvements were made using the line balancing method and Eliminate, Combine, Rearrange, Simplify (ECRS) concept. The results that have been done, the obtained value of line efficiency for washing machine products is 76.76%. This value has not reached the company's productivity target of 99.50%. Therefore it is necessary to improve the assembling line to increase the value of product production. The proposed improvements made with improvements to the work methods on the assembling line obtained 89.38% results is to increase the amount of line efficiency by improving work methods.


2016 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 182
Author(s):  
SAIFUL .. ◽  
MULYADI HAMBALI ◽  
TRI MUHADI RAHMAN

PT XYZ merupakan salah satu perusahaan yang bergerak di bidang industri mebel. Masalah yang dihadapi perusahaan adalah adanya ketidakseimbangan di lintasan produksi akibat ketidakmerataan pembagian beban kerja di setiap stasiun kerja. Hal ini menyebabkan performansi keseimbangan lintasan (line performance) menjadi kurang baik. Untuk menyelesaikan permasalahan ini perlu dilakukan penyeimbangan lintasan produksi. Hal ini dapat dilakukan dengan metode line balancing yaitu metode penugasan sejumlah pekerjaan yang saling berkaitan dalam satu lintasan produksi sehingga setiap stasiun kerja memiliki waktu yang tidak melebihi waktu siklus dari stasiun kerja tersebut. Metode line balancing yang digunakan adalah metode heuristik yang terdiri dari: metode bobot posisi (Ranked Positional Weight), metode pembebanan berurut (Large Candidate Rule), dan metode pendekatan wilayah (Region Approach). Dari ketiga metode Heuristik yang digunakan sebagai solusi penyeimbangan lintasan, terjadi perbaikan performansi dengan nilai yang sama pada lintasan produksi. Nilai efisiensi lintasan (line efficiency) meningkat menjadi 94,07 % dari 62,71 % pada kondisi awal. Nilai keseimbangan waktu senggang (balance delay) turun menjadi 5,92 % dari 37,28 % pada kondisi awal. Waktu menganggur (idle time) turun menjadi 12,39 menit dari 116,87 menit pada kondisi awal. Nilai smoothness index juga turun menjadi 7,44 dari 64,67 pada kondisi awal. PT XYZ is one of the company which refers to furniture industries sector. The problem which faced by this company is unbalance of the production line which is caused by the unequal of work responsibility distribution in each work station. This problem caused the performance of line balance doesn’t work properly. To solve this problem we need to do the line balancing of production line. It can be done by line balancing methode that assigns a number of work which is related in one production line until each work station has efficient time which is not more than the cycle time of the work station. Line balancing methode that used is heuristic methode which is devided into ranked positional weight methode, large candidate rule methode, and region approach methode. From those three heuristic methode that used as solution of line balancing, there was improvement happenned with the same value in doors of production line. Line efficiency increased into 94,07% from 62,71% at the beginning condition. Balance delay increased into 5,92% from 37,28% at the beginning condition. The idle time descreased into 12,39 minutes from 116,87 minutes at the beginning condition. The smoothness index descreased into 7,44 from 64,67 at the beginning condition.


Author(s):  
José Itzcoatl Gomar-Madriz ◽  
Salvador Hernandez-González ◽  
Jaime Navarrete-Damián

The Hoist Scheduling Problem is combinatory, so tools such as mathematical programming need to be used to get the sequence of movements, respecting the constraints of the process by minimizing the cycle time. A sequence in which the order of movements follows the order of the process is known as the basic diagram. These schedules do not have any clearance for the hoist to make any other movements, resulting in a loss in productivity. This chapter takes the production line of a Mexican factory as a case study, analyzing the hoist's travelling speed to find sequences of movements that could improve productivity. The results of the study indicate that the cycle time has a nonlinear behavior in respect of the hoist's travelling speed and it was determined that there are travelling speeds for which sequences are obtained with enough clearance to make other movements and keep other carriers on the line. A suitable speed was estimated in the case.


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.


2020 ◽  
Vol 899 ◽  
pp. 268-274
Author(s):  
Mohamad Hafizdudin bin Tajul Arifin ◽  
Wan Emri Wan Abdul Rahman

The aim of this study is to analyze the existing production line in the automotive industry and proposed a layout of improved production line in the manufacturing process and obtain the optimum rate of production time. Thus, line balancing method and Yamazumi Chart was utilized to analyze the current and proposed production line. The collection of the data of the existing production line was conducted at one of the automotive company in Malaysia. From the analysis of current production line, two improved layout were proposed and evaluated. The proposed layout was selected based on a balanced production line and ability to meet customer demand. A balanced production line will ensure smooth process and eliminate wastage during operation


2012 ◽  
Vol 576 ◽  
pp. 700-704 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hartini Mustafa ◽  
Ahmad Razlan Yusoff ◽  
M. Yusoff Ismail

Assembly line balancing is assumed to have fixed task within specified task time during the initial stage of the mass production. The problem of current case study of this assembly line was the production line cannot meet the expected output plan with imbalance station cycle time. In this paper, productivity study and line balancing is applied to improve production line of GGMG & CALICO. The desired cycle time defined using the Standard Time Data (STD) which required the person to perform assign task till completion by defining the performance rating of person. The proposed solution proved by the implementation analysis conducted in the research. The results showed that the productivity of production line which is tremendously increased within 50% after implementation. There are six factors identified during the study which are bottleneck stations, workpiece flow, line layout, ergonomic, resource assignment and buffer allocation.


2015 ◽  
Vol 761 ◽  
pp. 104-108
Author(s):  
Adi Saptari ◽  
Jia Xin Leau ◽  
M. Nor Akramin

In Line Balancing principles, the total workload in the assembly process is divided as evenly as possible among the workstations, without violating the sequences and relations in the assembly operations. Line balancing is important in an assembly system as it balances the line and increases the efficiency, as well as the productivity of a system. A case study was conducted in the assembly line of an electrical accessories manufacturer in Malaysia. The cycle time for each station was recorded, and the standard cycle time was estimated. The productivity, as well as the efficiency of the current assembly line, were studied. In terms of the productivity, the performance of the current systems was 500 units/worker/day, while the expected productivity was 600 units/worker/day. An assembly line setting was proposed based on the Line Balancing Method; the productivity for the proposed line increased to 671 units/worker/day, or in rough additional increase around 34%.


2001 ◽  
Vol 7 (6) ◽  
pp. 543-578 ◽  
Author(s):  
S.-Y. Chiang ◽  
C.-T. Kuo ◽  
S. M. Meerkov

The bottleneck of a production line is a machine that impedes the system performance in the strongest manner. In production lines with the so-called Markovian model of machine reliability, bottlenecks with respect to the downtime, uptime, and the cycle time of the machines can be introduced. The two former have been addressed in recent publications [1] and [2]. The latter is investigated in this paper. Specifically, using a novel aggregation procedure for performance analysis of production lines with Markovian machines having different cycle time, we develop a method for c-bottleneck identification and apply it in a case study to a camshaft production line at an automotive engine plant.


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