Abandoning the moving assembly line: Models of human operators and job sequencing

Models are developed which ‘explain’ why new automobile assembly systems are abandoning traditional moving assembly line concepts if human operators perform most of the tasks. The new systems incorporate parallel stations, asynchronous work flow and small inventories. However, the paralleling creates problems in synchronizing parts delivery, and models are developed to illustrate these problems and the effect of alternative part delivery systems and the impact of job resequencing requirements,