Learning and labour assignment in a dual resource constrained cellular shop

Abstract

Recent studies have shown that in a cellular shop that benefits from learning due to repetitive processing, limitations attributable to routing flexibility can be more than offset. Moreover, the shop can respond more quickly to changes in demand than a job shop. This study examines the impact of labour assignments in a dual constrained cellular shop in which processing times decrease with operator task repetition. Results indicate that in the presence of operator learning, shop performance is significantly affected by the flexibility permitted in labour assignments. Moreover, the sensitivity of performance to labour assignments is significantly impacted by staffing levels and the magnitude of learning effects.