The effects of routing flexibility in a multi-stage pull-type system

The pull-type manufacturing system is known for its need for a frozen schedule, balanced work load and inability to handle fluctuations in demand. But today research and development are addressing ways to handle a pull-type system to accommodate greater fluctuations. One approach is to design the system with machines that have a greater routing flexibility in what work they can perform. However, most of the existing literature dealing with routing flexibility has primarily been devoted to the push-type production systems. This research examined the effects of routing flexibility for a multi-stage kanban-controlled pull-type system.