Applying the network flow model to evaluate the throughput of a flexible manufacturing cell

An increasingly competitive environment and the changing customers' preference have forced manufacturers to find ways to increase productivity. The cellular manufacturing system has proved to be an alternative for improving manufacturing efficiency and increasing productivity. A major problem in implementing a Flexible Manufacturing Cell (FMC) is how to evaluate its total throughput efficiently. In this paper, we apply a network flow model to select different machines in an FMC. This network flow model can be used in a processing environment with multiple available routings and obtain the maximum total throughput. In addition, two numerical examples are demonstrated to illustrate the use of this model. The results show that the network flow model established in this paper provides a simple and powerful tool when evaluating different machine configurations with limited information available. That is, only the operating routings and operating time are required when using the network flow model.