Integrated decision making in a flexible assembly system: sensitivity analysis and extended testing

Abstract

This paper presents the results of sensitivity analysis and e.Mendcd testing for a three-level flexible control strategy (FCS) in an assembly environment. The FCS, which includes product mix flexibility at the system level, product routeing flexibility at the cell level, and product sequencing flexibility at the machine level, is tested under a variety of system characteristics. The effects of lot size, buffer size, set-up times, product mix, process reliability and variability, and various policy interactions are considered. It is demonstrated that the three-level FCS provides robust improvement over assembly systems that do not incorporate the use of flexibility under a wide range of system conditions. This testing effort furthermore provides insight into the question of which system conditions may contribute to FCS effectiveness in general.

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 Dexible 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 HE 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.