Configuring layout for a cellular manufacturing system

This paper addresses the layout configuration problems of a complex cellular manufacturing system. A three-phase interactive approach is outlined to determine the intercell layout, the location of transfer stations, and the machine layout for each cell. The approach is based on the decomposition strategy to partition the complex and large design problem into a subset of smaller problems with increasing details. In phase one, intercell layouts are developed, on the basis of the optimization models. In phase two, locations of transfer stations in the layout are selected. In phase three, the within-the-cell layout that includes machines or workstations in each cell is determined. The approach is enhanced with interactive routines to handle qualitative and complex design issues. An industry-sized example is used to illustrate computational procedures of the approach, and to gain understanding for the cellular layout development. It is suggested that an interactive and intelligent knowledge base can be used to enhance the applicability of optimization models in complex system design.