Integrated decision making in a flexible assembly system: a new approach for operational control

Abstract

The degree to which flexibility in product mix, flexibility in product routeing, and flexibility in buffer sequencing can influence manufacturing system performance is the focus of this paper. Of special interest is the performance of material flow control architectures which integrate these flexible control concepts. The manufacturing context is that of diverse mixed technology circuit boards assembled using a cellular approach. The research methodology is that of simulation using the SIMAN and FORTRAN languages. Results indicate that the incorporation of flexibility concepts into material flow architectures can significantly affect system performance, especially when properly integrated with other operational control mechanisms.

Notes

G. DON TAYLOR is an Assistant Professor of Industrial Engineering at the University of Arkansas. He holds BSIE and MSIE degrees from the University of Texas at Arlington, and a Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research from the University of Massachusetts. He has previously held manufacturing positions at Texas Instruments in Lewisville, TX and at Digital Equipment Corporation in Enfield, CT. His research interests include electronics assembly, real-time manufacturing control, and the use of simulation in complex environments. He is a member of the Institute of Industrial Engineers.

ROBERT J. GRAVES is a Professor in the Department of Industrial Engineering and Operations Research at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He joined the faculty at the University in 1979 from the position of Assistant Professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology. He is currently pursuing research directions in near real-time scheduling and dispatching, in assembly system design for traditional as well as flexible assembly approaches, and in concurrent engineering. As Director of the University's Flexible Assembly Systems Laboratory, he is responsible for guiding the funding efforts and research efforts in this important research domain. Dr. Graves is, as well, a recipient of the IIE Special Citation for significant accomplishments in the field of facilities planning and design and currently serves as the President of the College Industry Council on Material Handling Education, a unit of the Material Handling Institute. He is a member of TIMS, SME and HE.