An integrated approach for shop floor configuration in fractal manufacturing systems

Fractal manufacturing is an emerging concept that allocates the production resources into similar multifunctional cells capable of processing a wide variety of products. In this paper, an integrated methodology for shop floor configuration in fractal manufacturing systems is proposed. The procedure incorporates the different fractal cell design phases and methods that respond to varying organisational objectives. Mathematical models for the different design stages are presented and the validity of the procedure used for product allocation optimisation is evaluated. The quality of the resulting fractal layouts is assessed and compared against values for a typical random machine arrangement to evaluate the effectiveness of the product flow optimisation process. The results indicate that the procedure is efficient and that cell layout optimisation can improve material handling distances.