Comparative study of push and pull systems considering quality performance in a cell-based job shop environment

Simulation experiments were used to investigate the influences of quality performance on the performance difference between push and pull systems in a cell-based job shop environment. Quality performance was represented by two factors, i.e. mean magnitude of step shifts (MMSS) and mean frequency of step shifts (MFSS). Shop performance was based on the average and standard deviation of flow time. Results show that push systems are superior to pull systems, regardless of quality performance and set-up time reduction (STR) effected by cellular manufacturing. Therefore, to justify the adoption of pull systems, their potentials beyond material flow control (e.g. in promoting continuous improvement) need to be realized. In addition, the larger the STR, the more effective the quality performance improvement. With a large STR (of 80%), reduction of MMSS or (and) MFSS can improve the average (standard deviation) of flow time. In particular, reduction of MFSS tends to be more effective for a pull system with a larger STR. Accordingly, for a pull system in a cell-based job shop environment, substantial set-up time reduction is critical not only for efficient process operations, but also for effective quality performance improvement.