Evaluation of the mixed-model assembly line balancing problem with variable operation times and product mix

Daria Battini, Maurizio Faccio, Alessandro Persona and Fabio Sgarbossa

International Journal of Services and Operations Management, 2010, vol. 6, issue 2, 126-148

Abstract: In order to make production systems more versatile and flexible, there has been a transition in the last decades towards mixed-model assembly lines, where all the products are variations of the same base product and only differ in specific customisable attributes. A mixed-model environment presents balancing problems (Mixed-model Assembly Line Balancing Problem or MALBP) that can normally be solved by transforming the mixed-model system into a Single Assembly Line Balancing Problem (SALBP), and simplified by creating a 'virtual average model'. In this case, a general average model not dependent on the characteristics of the real system can represent a considerable restriction since the reality is characterised by high variability in the operation times and product mix between different product models. A comparative evaluation of eight different methodologies to reduce a MALBP into a SALBP is presented, using several randomly generated problems, to test operation time fluctuations and the product mix. Their evaluation is based on five different performance measures.

Keywords: mixed-model lines; assembly line balancing; task time variability; demand variability; performance measures; comparative evaluation; virtual average model; assembly systems; assembly lines; task assignment; operation times; product mix. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2010
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