Assembly line balancing problem with ergonomics: a new fatigue and recovery model

ABSTRACT

Assembly lines are production lines used to manufacture products, ranging from mass-production products to mass-customisation with low unit products. Assembly lines consume the largest parts of investment funds and involve the largest proportion of companies' labour force. However, workers in assembly lines are exposed to work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) and ergonomics problems. Poor distribution of workloads reduces the performance of assembly lines and causes workers MSDs and injuries, largely affecting the economics of production systems and resulting in high workers' compensation and absenteeism costs. Furthermore, ergonomics problems and MSDs impact product quality and decrease productivity. We propose a methodology for taking physical ergonomics into account as early as in the design phase of assembly lines. This methodology is based on Integer Linear Programming for the assembly line balancing problem with consideration of ergonomics with a quantitative fatigue and recovery criterion. As solving approach, we develop a dedicated exact algorithm, denoted Iterative Dichotomic Search, to solve low and medium-size instances of the problem. We validate our approach by proposing numerical experiments and analysis on instances from the literature.

KEYWORDS:

• Assembly line balancing problem
• design of manufacturing systems
• ergonomics
• exact algorithm
• fatigue and recovery model

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, M-A.A., upon reasonable request.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Mohammed-Amine Abdous

Mohammed-Amine Abdous is a research engineer at IMT Nord Europe (France). He holds a Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering from Mines Saint-Etienne (France) and the University of Padova (Italy). His work and research are mainly focused on industrial and manufacturing system design and modelling, human factors in manufacturing, and Industry 4.0.

Xavier Delorme

Xavier Delorme is a full professor at the Mines de Saint-Etienne (France). His works seek to find mathematic models and algorithms to support Decision-Making in Industry, mainly using optimisation methods from Operations Research. Pr. Xavier Delorme research works are multidisciplinary at the intersection of several scientific fields such as industrial engineering, mathematics, and computer science.

Daria Battini

Daria Battini is a full professor of Industrial Facilities Design and Industrial Logistics at the University of Padua (Italy). She is the Coordinator of the Doctoral Course in Mechatronics and Product Innovation Engineering. Pr. Daria Battini investigates supply chain design and management, industrial system optimisation, and manufacturing system management for sustainability. She has been guest editor of several special issues in relevant international journals and she is a member of IFAC and Euroma.

Fabio Sgarbossa

Fabio Sgarbossa is a full professor of Industrial Logistics at the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering (MTP) at NTNU (Norway). He was an Associate Professor at the University of Padova (Italy) where he also received his Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering. He is the responsible of the Production Management Group at MTP and the Logistics 4.0 Lab at NTNU. Pr. Fabio Sgarbossa developed original expertise in industrial logistics, material handling, materials management, and supply chain. He is a member of editorial boards and associate editor in relevant International Journals.

Sandrine Berger-Douce

Sandrine Berger-Douce is a Full Professor of Management at Mines St-Etienne. She is currently Head of the ‘Responsible Management & Innovation’ Department. Pr. Berger-Douce developed original expertise on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strategy and practices in Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs). Her field of expertise is focused on responsible management and sustainable entrepreneurship. More recently, she is implied in research projects dedicated to the digital transformation of organisations regarding the creation of shared value among ecosystems.