Article ID: | iaor1994492 |
Country: | United States |
Volume: | 4 |
Issue: | 2 |
Start Page Number: | 129 |
End Page Number: | 158 |
Publication Date: | Jan 1992 |
Journal: | International Journal of Flexible Manufacturing Systems |
Authors: | Wang L., Wilhelm W.E. |
Keywords: | cellular manufacturing |
This article presents an efficient algorithm for applying the recursion modeling approach to describe the transient operation of cellular production/assembly systems that incorporate features such as finite buffers, job-shop routing, lot sequencing, and material handling. Tests evaluate the approximation method relative to number of machines at a station, capacity of input/output buffers, degree of balance among station processing times, and sequencing rule. Furthermore, the method is demonstrated in application to a hypothetical industrial setting that involves the assembly of electronic circuit cards in a facility composed of several cells. All tests indicate that the method gives accurate estimates of transient performance within reasonable runtime. In comparison with earlier recursion models, this research incorporates a number of new features (see list above), improves the accuracy of approximation, and facilitates implementation with a new, more efficient algorithm.