The use of dynamic (state-dependent) assembly-line balancing to improve throughput

To improve throughput while having very small (nearly zero) inventories in multistage, serial production systems, the authors propose controlling the buffer inventory quantities between successive stages of production. This is done by allowing some work (the shared task) to be done at either of two work centers; the selection of which work center to use is based on the current state of the buffer inventories. In this paper the authors describe industrial examples that prompted the present investigation, and they define dynamic assembly-line balancing (DLB) and appropriate decision rules. Analytical results are obtained for one decision rule in a two-workcenter case, and simulation is used to study larger systems and other rules. DLB significantly improves throughput or reduces the inventory needed to achieve a target output. The authors also address the design issue of how large the shared task should be.