A workload based model for minimizing total intercell and intracell moves in cellular manufacturing

SUMMARY

The aim of cellular manufacturing systems is to group parts that have similar processing needs into part families, and machines that meet these needs into machine cells. In this paper, intracell moves are recognized as being as important and unproductive an element as intercell moves are in cellular manufacturing. An efficient solution algorithm based on a model describing the total moves contributed by both intercell and intracell moves has been developed. Appropriate weights have been chosen to represent the total moves in equation form as a weighted sum of both intercell and intracell moves. In addition to the total moves, utilization of a workstation in a cell has been evaluated and used in the determination of the best workstation and part assignments to the respective cells from among a choice of solutions. This choice is made possible by varying the number of cells between a priori determined minimum and maximum values. The algorithm has been tested on problems selected from published literature, and the results presented show that this algorithm determines at least as good a solution or a superior and more realistic solution when compared to those reported in the past.