A design methodology for fractal layout organization

Abstract

This paper proposes a methodology for designing job shops under the fractal layout organization that has been introduced as an alternative to the more traditional function and product organizations. We first begin with an illustration of how a fractal job shop is constituted from individual fractal cells. We then consider joint assignment of products and their processing requirements to fractal cells, the layout of workstation replicates in a fractal cell and the layout of cells with respect to each other. The main challenge in assigning flow to workstation replicates is that flow assignment is in itself a layout dependent decision problem. We confront this dilemma by proposing an iterative algorithm that updates layouts depending on flow assignments, and flow assignments based on layout. The proposed heuristic is computationally feasible as evidenced by our experience with test problems taken from the literature. We conclude by showing how the methodologies developed in this paper have helped us evaluate fractal job shop designs through specification of fractal cells, assignment of processing requirements to workstation replicates, and development of processor level layouts. This step has had the far-reaching consequence of demonstrating the viability and the validity of the fractal layout organization.