| Article ID: | iaor19991658 |
| Country: | United Kingdom |
| Volume: | 36 |
| Issue: | 1 |
| Start Page Number: | 1 |
| End Page Number: | 12 |
| Publication Date: | Jan 1998 |
| Journal: | International Journal of Production Research |
| Authors: | Hutchinson G.K., Pflughoeft K.A. |
| Keywords: | flexibility, job shop |
Process flexibility permits alternative operations for a manufacturing task. When each operation of a process plan has an alternative the potential for system improvement is substantial. This potential can be best realized through planning and control, of which little is known. For instance the use of common scheduling rules may diminish these benefits. An extensive simulation experiment was used to investigate the average effects of process flexibility on modified job shop problems. Average workpiece flow time was decreased by 10·09% and was highly correlated with the operation times of alternatives.