Article ID: | iaor2002618 |
Country: | United States |
Volume: | 30 |
Issue: | 4 |
Start Page Number: | 391 |
End Page Number: | 399 |
Publication Date: | Apr 1998 |
Journal: | IIE Transactions |
Authors: | Arzi Y., Kalir A. |
Despite the increasing use of automated manufacturing systems, combining flexible technology, only a few models for designing such systems are avaialble. This paper presents a model for the determination of the profit-maximizing configuration of workstations (both machine types and number) along a flexible production line with unreliable machines and infinte buffers. A mixed integer programming formulation of the problem is introduced and an optimal solution algorithm is developed. For large scale problems a heuristic procedure is presented.