Just-in-time parts feeding policies for paced assembly lines: possible solutions for highly constrained layouts

This paper deals with the dimensioning of a just‐in‐time (JIT) parts feeding system, for a paced assembly line. Specifically, we consider the quite frequent case of an old‐fashioned, push‐oriented warehouse arrangement, characterized by materials and subassemblies that are stocked in different and peripheral areas of the manufacturing plant. In these circumstance, layout changes are almost impossible and warehouses cannot be substituted by supermarkets. Nevertheless, this does not preclude the possibility to rationalize material flow and to reduce work in process (WIP) using a JIT parts feeding system. To this aim, we propose two alternative approaches, differentiating in terms of the order with which warehouses and workstations are visited. In order to dimension both systems and to estimate their expected performances, a mathematical model is also presented. At first, the model is presented in a basic formulation, which is very effective and easy to use. A more sophisticated formulation, based on Bayesian probability, is introduced next; this is not so much for practical purposes, but rather to demonstrate the potential of the proposed JIT system in very constrained operating settings.