Job route selection model for workload balancing between workstations in flexible flow line

Abstract

A flexible flow line (FFL) consists of several groups of identical machines. All work-orders flow along the same path through successive machine groups. Thus, the balancing of workloads between machine groups in order to maximize total productivity is emphasized. On the other hand, many different types of work-orders, in varying batch or lot sizes, are produced simultaneously. The mix of work-orders, their lot sizes, and the sequence in which they are produced affect the workload. However, the work-orders and their lot sizes are pre-fixed and cannot be changed. Because of these reasons, an optimal route selection model has been developed using heuristic search and a min-max algorithm for balancing the workload between machine groups in the FFL.

Keywords:

• flexible flow line
• workload balancing
• job route selection
• heuristic search