Paper Info
Title
Influence Of Unbalanced Operation Time Means And Uneven Buffer Allocation On Unreliable Merging Assembly Line Efficiency
Abstract
Unbalanced, unreliable (UR), unpaced, merging assembly lines are simulated in this study with varying line lengths, buffer storage capacities, imbalance degrees and unequal mean operation time configurations and uneven buffer capacity (BC) allocation. This paper contributes to the literature by suggesting that, in many cases, imbalance can improve merging lines' performance, as compared to a corresponding balanced merging line. It was found that an inverted bowl or descending patterns for mean operation times (MTs), and an inverted bowl (concentrating BC towards the centre of the line) or an ascending pattern for buffer allocation, result in higher throughput (TR). In terms of average buffer level (ABL), the best pattern is a monotone decreasing order regarding MTs and a monotone increasing order with respect to BC allocation. Additionally, it was found that when considering a profit function, the best performing patterns for UR lines tend to be the patterns that reduce ABL, even when considering very low inventory holding costs; contrary to the behaviour of the profit function in reliable lines, which suggests that either patterns that increase TR or reduce ABL can lead to a good performance, depending on the values of the unitary inventory holding costs.
Year
DOI
Venue
2019
10.1080/00207543.2018.1495344
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PRODUCTION RESEARCH
Keywords
DocType
Volume
unreliable, unbalanced merging lines, service time means, throughput, average buffer level, simulation, bowl phenomenon
Journal
57
Issue
ISSN
Citations 
6
0020-7543
0
PageRank 
References 
Authors
0.34
15
3
Name
Order
Citations
PageRank
Rodrigo Romero-Silva100.68
Rodrigo Romero-Silva200.68
Sabry Shaaban3185.42