A branch and bound algorithm for scheduling just-in-time mixed-model assembly lines

In this paper, an efficient branch and bound algorithm is developed for determining effective assembly sequences for mixed-model assembly lines that produce products with similar part requirements in a just-in-time production environment. The objective is to maintain a constant usage rate for every part used by the lines. A numerical example is used to illustrate the procedure of the algorithm. The performance of the algorithm is then evaluated by using randomly generated test problems.