POPULAR MANUFACTURING SYSTEMS

Machine shop process layout

Receiving

Assembly Lines
Group technology / cellular manufacturing
systems (GT /CMS)
MRP 1 / MRP 2 supported systems
Flexible manufacturing system (FMS)
Just in time production systems (JIT)
ERP supported manufacturing systems
Agile manufacturing systems (AMS)
Quick response manufacturing systems
(QRMS)
Lean production systems (LEAN)

Grinders
Mills

Large number
of
low volume
products

Raw material.

storage

Assembly

Drills
Planers

Inspection

Lathes

Automatics

Finished
goods
storage

Part A
Part B
Facility Layout

Product layout
Raw material.
Receiving

storage
Fabrication
line-part A

Finished
goods
storage

Fabrication
line-part B
Planer
Lathe

Drill
Mill
Mill
Drill

Small number
of
high volume
products

Grinder
Mill
Assembly line

Automatic

Facility Layout

WHICH IS BETTER ?

ASSEMBLY LINES IN MANUFACTURING

SYSTEMS

WHEN ?
WHY ?

ASSEMBLY LINES
Form a major part of manufacturing
systems
Popular
Offer tremendous advantage in terms of
higher productivity.
A system of assembly line consists of
>tasks to be performed,
>the work stations at which various sets of
these tasks are performed and
>conveyor that moves the product from
station to station

USED FOR PRODUCING

Any product
Generally in Automobile Industry
Final Assembly, Engine Assembly and other major
Assemblies like Gear Box, Axle, Steering System
etc.,
Consumer durables like TV, AC units,
Refrigerators, DVD players, Washing Machines,
Electrical motors, Fans etc.
Garment Industry ready made garments
PCB assembly

THE BEGINNING OF ASSEMBLY LINES

IN FORD
Around 1913
Magneto assembly
Old output : One piece in 5.5 Hrs
Improved output : One piece in 13 minutes

MASS MANUFACTURING
Assembly line - Henry Ford 1920s
Low skilled labor, simplistic jobs,
no pride in work
Interchangeable parts
Lower quality

Around 1918
Engine assembly
Old output : One piece in 8 Hrs
Improved output : One piece in 18 minutes

FORD PRODUCTION CYCLE - 1926

MONDAY
7:00 PM
TUESDAY
10:55 AM
12:55 PM
5:05 PM
6:00 PM
7:45 PM
WEDNESDAY
8:00 AM
12:00 PM

Ore boat docks at the River Rouge plant

Ore reduced to foundry iron 16 hours later
Cylinder block is cast
58 machining operations on casting in 55 minutes
Motor assembly takes an average of 97 minutes
Finished motor loaded on railcars for the assembly plant.
4-hour assembly time at standardized assembly plant
Dealer takes delivery of car

41 HOURS !

Affordably priced for the average family

Billions produced - identical

SOME DEFINITIONS
Assembly line is a moving conveyor passing through a
series of workstations in a uniform time interval called
cycle time.
A workstation is a location on the line at which the
specific tasks assigned to the station are performed.
A number of specific operations (tasks) are performed
in a specific sequence as required by the precedence
requirements of the tasks to assemble a product.
The cycle time is the maximum time available to any
workstation to complete all the tasks assigned to it.
The cycle time is dependent upon the rate of
production desired of the assembly line.

BASIC ISSUES

EXAMPLE

Identify the n tasks to be performed to

assemble a product.
Identify S Work stations
Distribute the n tasks to S workstations
Load each station with tasks taking almost equal
time (Balancing)
Deliver at least one product out of the line in
the time C ,the cycle time.
Decide the value of cycle time based on the
output rate P desired.

Assembly of a certain product consists of

11 tasks with specific time and precedence
requirements as shown in Table .
The required rate of output necessitates
that the cycle time to be 10 Minutes.
Design the assembly line such that sum of
the station idle times is minimized.

Activity i

1 2 3 4 5 6

Time ti
Immediate
followers

1 5 4 1 5 6 2
3 7 7 5 6 7 11
4
2
8

10

11

4 3 5
9 10 11

3
-

Activity i

10

11

Time ti

3,4
,
2,8

11

10

11

Immediate
follower

11

10

WHAT ARE THE

RELATIONSHIPS ?

SOME BASIC CONCEPTS ?

P= production rate required in unit time

i=activity or the task , i=1, n
j=workstation , j=1.S
ti=time for activity i
tij= time for activity i assigned to station j
nj = number of activities assigned to station j
Tj= time consumed by all activities at station j
T= Total work content time
C= Cycle time

WHAT ARE THE

RELATIONSHIPS?
Tj= time consumed by all activities at
station j
= tij, i = 1 to nj,
T= Total work content time = ti, i=1 to n
= Tj, j=1 to S ;also = tij, i = 1 to nj
and j=1to S
C= Cycle time 1/ P

ti vs Tj
ti vs T
Tj vs T
C vs ti, ?
C vs Tj ?
C vs T ?
C vs P

WHAT ARE THE

RELATIONSHIPS?
C = Max j ( Tj )
Therefore C = Tj + Ij ,
Where Ij = Idle time at Station j
Under perfect condition ,
S C = ti = Tj = T
SC is the total time a product spends in the
line while passing through all stations.

WHAT ARE THE BASIC ISSUES IN

DESIGNING ASSEMBLY LINES ?

Assembly Line Balancing Concepts

Question: Suppose you load work into the three work
stations below such that each will take the corresponding
number of minutes as shown. What is the cycle time of
this line?

Minutes
per Unit

Station 1

Station 2

Station 3

SOME COMMON MEASURES

LINE EFFICIENCY
= T / SC or ti / SC or tij,/ SC
BALANCE DELAY
= Ij / SC or (SC- ti ) / SC
= 1 ( ti / SC) = 1-
SMOOTHNESS INDEX SI
= SQRT ( ( Tj Max Tj)2), j = 1 to S
Or some times, ( why ?)
= SQRT ( ( C Tj)2), j = 1 to S

MAXIMISE LINE EFFICIENCY ?

MINIMISE TOTAL IDLE TIME ?
MINIMISE BALANCE DELAY ?
BALANCE WORK LOAD ACROSS ALL
STATIONS

THE MANAGERIAL ISSUE

MAXIMISE LINE EFFICIENCY
= MAXIMISE ( ti / SC)
MINIMISE BALANCE DELAY
= MINIMISE (1 ( ti / SC))
BOTH ARE SAME !
WHAT ARE THE OPTIONS ?

THE OPTIONS
FOCUS ON
NUMBER OF STATIONS
CYCLE TIME
BOTH

The Problem
Given n tasks and their time, assign these
tasks to S number of work stations taking care
that the total time required to complete the tasks
assigned to each station does not exceed the
cycle time C
Is it EASY ?
Is it like putting n apples or mangoes in to
minimum number of bags (S) where the weight
of the each bag should not exceed the
predetermined weight (C) ??

THE POPULAR CASE

Keep C Constant and Minimise S
The input: Activities, time , precedence and
the desired output rate ( Cycle time)

IT IS RATHER DIFFICULT
WHY ?

THERE ARE MANY CONSTRAINTS

The technological precedence constraints
Cycle time related constraints
C= Cycle time 1/ P
C t i max ;
Station related constraints
S = Int [ ( ti) / C ]
Location constraints
Grouping constraints such as compatibility
Operational constraints such as fatigue, safety,
mismatch of tools / skills etc.,

HEURISTICS Vs OPTIMIZATION
Heuristic procedures generally allow for a broader
problem definition, but may not guarantee optimal
solution.
Optimizing procedures generally have used more
narrowly defined problems, but guarantee optimal
solution for that problem
Examples of optimizing procedures
Dynamic programming
0-1 Integer programming
Branch and bound techniques.

WHAT ARE THE

APPROACHES ?
COMMON SENSE ( ARBITRARY)
ENGINEERING SENSE
HEURISTIC ALGORITHMS
MATHEMATICAL PROGRAMMING
SIMULATION
EVOLUTIONARY ALGORITHMS
Genetic Algorithm, Simulated Annealing,
ANC , etc.,

BASIS FOR THE HEAURISTICS

Decide the feasible number of work
stations
Build the work stations one by one by
assigning the activities
How activities are assigned ?
a) Selection rule
b) Eligibility check ( cycle time and
precedence)
c) Assignment policy ( Tie breaking rules)

SELECTION RULE
Any idea ?

What information do we have

about the activities ?
Primary information
Time
Number of predecessors
Number of successors
Technological
Secondary information
Can be derived using different logic.

COMMONLY USED SELECTION RULES

Smallest time activity first

Largest time activity first
Least number of predecessors first
Largest number of followers first
Least number of followers first
Task with greatest sum of task times of its
predecessors first
Positional weight
Pre-imposed priority
And so on

THERE ARE MANY

ALGORITHMS
We will see some of the popular
algorithms through examples

Example of Line Balancing

EXAMPLE 1

Youve just been assigned the job of setting

up an assembly line for an electric fan with
the following tasks:
Task
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H

Example of Line Balancing:

Structuring the Precedence Diagram
Task Predecessors
A
None
B
A
C
None
D

Description
Assemble frame
Mount switch
Assemble motor housing
Mount motor housing in frame
Attach blade
Assemble and attach safety grill
Attach cord
Test

Predecessors
None
A
None
A, C
D
E
B
F, G

IF DESIRED OUTPUT IS NOT GIVEN

Task Predecessors
E
D
F
E

A, C
A

Time (Mins)
2
1
3.25
1.2
0.5
1
1
1.4

F, G

G
H

10

Example of Line Balancing: Precedence

Diagram
Question: Which process step defines the maximum
rate of production?
2
A

1
B

1
G

Example of Line Balancing: The Bottleneck

Max Production =

1.4
H

3.25

1.2

.5

Task
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H

Answer: Task C is the cycle time of the line and

therefore, the maximum rate of production.

IF DESIRED OUTPUT IS
GIVEN

Production time per day

420 mins
=
=129 units
Bottleneck time
3.25 mins / unit

Time (Mins)
2
1
3.25
1.2
0.5
1
1
1.4

Description
Assemble frame
Mount switch
Assemble motor housing
Mount motor housing in frame
Attach blade
Assemble and attach safety grill
Attach cord
Test

Example of Line Balancing:

Predecessors
None
A
None
A, C
D
E
B
E, G

Determine Cycle

Time
Question: Suppose we want to assemble
100 fans per day. What would our cycle
time have to be?
Answer:
Required Cycle Time, C =

C=

Production time per period

Required output per period

420 mins / day

= 4.2 mins / unit
100 units / day

11

Example of Line Balancing: Determine

Theoretical Minimum Number of Workstations

Example of Line Balancing: Rules To Follow for

Loading Workstations
Assign tasks to station 1, then 2, etc. in sequence. Keep
assigning to a workstation ensuring that precedence is
maintained and total work is less than or equal to the cycle
time. Use the following rules to select tasks for assignment.

Question: What is the theoretical minimum number of

workstations for this problem?
Theoretical Min. Number of Workstations, N t

Answer:

Nt =

Primary: Assign tasks in order of the largest number of

following tasks

Sum of task times (T)

Cycle time (C)

Secondary (tie-breaking): Assign tasks in order of the longest

operating time

11.35 mins / unit

Nt =
= 2.702, or 3
4.2 mins / unit

2
A

1
B

1
G

1.4
H

3.25

1.2

.5

Station 1

Task
A
C
D
B
E
F
G
H

Station 2

Followers
6
4
3
2
2
1
1
0

Time (Mins)
2
3.25
1.2
1
0.5
1
1
1.4

Station 3

2
A

1
B

1
G

1.4
H

3.25

1.2

.5

Station 1

Task
A
C
D
B
E
F
G
H

Station 2

Followers
6
4
3
2
2
1
1
0

Time (Mins)
2
3.25
1.2
1
0.5
1
1
1.4

Station 3

A (4.2-2=2.2)

12

2
A

1
B

1
G

1.4
H

3.25

1.2

.5

Station 1

Task
A
C
D
B
E
F
G
H

Station 2

Followers
6
4
3
2
2
1
1
0

Time (Mins)
2
3.25
1.2
1
0.5
1
1
1.4

2
A

1
B

1
G

1.4
H

3.25

1.2

.5

Station 3

Station 1

A (4.2-2=2.2)
B (2.2-1=1.2)

Task
A
C
D
B
E
F
G
H

Followers
6
4
3
2
2
1
1
0

Station 2

Time (Mins)
2
3.25
1.2
1
0.5
1
1
1.4

Station 3

A (4.2-2=2.2)
B (2.2-1=1.2)
G (1.2-1= .2)
Idle= .2

2
A

1
B

1
G

1.4
H

3.25

1.2

.5

Station 1

Task
A
C
D
B
E
F
G
H

Station 2

Followers
6
4
3
2
2
1
1
0

Time (Mins)
2
3.25
1.2
1
0.5
1
1
1.4

2
A

Station 3

1
B

1
G

1.4
H

3.25

1.2

.5

Station 1

Task
A
C
D
B
E
F
G
H

Station 2

(4.2-2=2.2) A
(4.2-3.25=.95)C
A(2.2-1=1.2)A,B
G(1.2-1= .2)A,B,G

A (4.2-2=2.2)A
(4.2-3.25=.95) C
B (2.2-1=1.2)A,B
G (1.2-1= .2)A,B,G

Idle= .2

Idle= .2

Followers
6
4
3
2
2
1
1
0

Time (Mins)
2
3.25
1.2
1
0.5
1
1
1.4

Station 3

Idle = .95

13

2
A

1
B

1
G

1.4
H

3.25

1.2

.5

Station 1

Task
A
C
D
B
E
F
G
H

Station 2

A (4.2-2=2.2)
B (2.2-1=1.2)
G (1.2-1= .2)

C (4.2-3.25)=.95

Idle= .2

Idle = .95

Followers
6
4
3
2
2
1
1
0

Time (Mins)
2
3.25
1.2
1
0.5
1
1
1.4

Station 3
D (4.2-1.2=3) D

2
A

1
B

1
G

1.4
H

3.25

1.2

.5

Station 1

Task
A
C
D
B
E
F
G
H

Station 2

A (4.2-2=2.2)
B (2.2-1=1.2)
G (1.2-1= .2)

C (4.2-3.25)=.95

Idle= .2

Idle = .95

Followers
6
4
3
2
2
1
1
0

Time (Mins)
2
3.25
1.2
1
0.5
1
1
1.4

Station 3
D (4.2-1.2=3) D
E (3-.5=2.5) D,E

2
A

1
B

1
G

1.4
H

3.25

1.2

.5

Station 1

Task
A
C
D
B
E
F
G
H

Station 2

A (4.2-2=2.2)
B (2.2-1=1.2)
G (1.2-1= .2)

C (4.2-3.25)=.95

Idle= .2

Idle = .95

Followers
6
4
3
2
2
1
1
0

Time (Mins)
2
3.25
1.2
1
0.5
1
1
1.4

Station 3
(4.2-1.2=3)D
(3-.5=2.5)D,E
(2.5-1=1.5)D,E,F

2
A

1
B

1
G

1.4
H

3.25

1.2

.5

Station 1

Task
A
C
D
B
E
F
G
H

Station 2

Followers
6
4
3
2
2
1
1
0

Time (Mins)
2
3.25
1.2
1
0.5
1
1
1.4

Station 3

A (4.2-2=2.2)
B (2.2-1=1.2)
G (1.2-1= .2)

C (4.2-3.25)=.95

(4.2-1.2=3)D
(3-.5=2.5)D,E
(2.5-1=1.5)D,E,F
(1.5-1.4=.1) D,E,F,H

Idle= .2

Idle = .95

Idle = .1

14

SOLVE THE SAME PROBLEM USING

Example of Line Balancing: Determine the
Efficiency of the Assembly Line
Efficiency =

Sum of task times (T)

Actual number of workstations (Na) x Cycle time (C)

Efficiency =

11.35 mins / unit

=.901
(3)(4.2mins / unit)

EXAMPLE 2
USE RANK POSITIONAL WEIGHT
METHOD

Smallest time activity first

Largest time activity first
Least number of predecessors
Least number of followers first
( successors)
Positional weight
Task with greatest sum of task times of its
predecessors first
COMPARE YOUR SOLUTIONS

RANK POSITIONAL WEIGHT METHOD

(RPW)
Step 1: For each activity find the positional
weight (PWi)
PWi = Time of the activity i plus the sum of
the times of all activities following this activity.
Step 2: Rank the activities on the basis of PWi,
starting with the activity with the maximum PWi.
In case of tie, give priority to the activity with
larger processing time.
This rank is called Rank Positional Weight (RPW)

15

STEPS 1 & 2 OF RPW METHOD

Activity I

Time ti
Immediate

3,4

39

10

17

16

10

11

11

10

11

11

15

11

10

11

Follower

2,8

Positional
weights

RPW

Sequence in which activities are to be

assigned to the workstation

HOW RPW IS USED ?

Step 3:
Use RPW and find the order in which the
activities are to be assigned to the
workstations
The activity with rank 1 will be the first in
the sequence with others following
accordingly.
The sequence in which the activities are to
be assigned is:

Activity

10

11

Rank

10

11

16

The Solution is
Cycle time = 10
Step 4: Take Workstation 1 and assign
the activities from the sequence obtained
in Step 3, by taking care that at each
station, the sum of the times of activities
assigned does not exceed the cycle time.
Step 5: Take the next Workstation and
repeat Step 4.
Step 6: Repeat Step 5 until all activities
have been assigned.

II

III

IV

TASK

1, 4, 5

8, 6

9,2

3,10

7, 11

TIME

10

Results: There are five workstations, identified with the tasks as follows.
Station

II

III

IV

Activities

1,4,5

8,6

9,2

3,10

7,11

Total time

10

Idle time

EXAMPLE 3

Analysis
Measure

I
STATION

Value

Total work content time

39

Total throughput time for a piece

5 x 10 = 50

Total idle time

11

Line Efficiency

(39 / 50) x100

= 78 %

Balance delay

(11/ 50) x 100

= 22 %

Smoothness index

(9+0+4+1+25)

Company operates one shift per day

Available time per shift is 450 minutes
Demand is 75 units/day
cycle time = 450/75 = 6 minutes/part
S= 20/6 = 3.33 = 4 stations

1/2

17

DATA

Precedence Diagram

Task Time Required Precedes

A
2.2 min.
B, C, D
B
3.4
E
C
1.7
E
D
4.1
F
E
2.7
F
F
3.3
G
G
2.6
--

B
E
A

69

TWO PHASE METHOD

G
70

THE APPROACH
Uses two phases
In phase1:
>The sequence in which the activities are
placed is determined .
> Using this sequence, the activity-time and
the cycle time , work stations are built.
> The solution obtained is the feasible
solution.
>The efficiency of this solution is measured in
terms of smoothness index.
>Now go to Phase 2

18

STEPS IN PHASE 1
Prepare immediate predecessor matrix
PMATRIX
Prepare immediate follower matrix
FMATRIX
Use these two matrices and obtain the
sequence in which the tasks are to be
assigned

THE STEPS
1. Identify the element with zero predecessor in the
PMATRIX and place it in the first available place in the
sequence ( in case of tie use LPT)
2. Go to the row corresponding to this activity in FMATRIX
and identify all the follower activities.
3. Return to the PMATRIX and locate the row(s) of these
activities.
4. Remove the activities just placed in the sequence,
from this row ( these rows). Now you will have at least
one activity with zero predecessor.
5. Place this activity ( use tie breaking rule if necessary)
in the next available place in the sequence
6. Repeat steps 2 to 5 until all activities are placed in the
sequence

Activity

IMMEDIATE
PREDECESSOR
MATRIX
PMATRIX
NIL

TIME
MIN.

Activity

2.2

IMMEDIATE
FOLLOWER
MATRIX
FMATRIX
B
C
D

A
B

3.4

1.7

4.1

2.7

3.3

2.6

Nil

SEQUENCE

Activity

19

Activity

IMMEDIATE
FOLLOWER
MATRIX
FMATRIX
B
C D

Activity

IMMEDIATE TIME Activit

PREDECESS MIN. y
OR MATRIX
PMATRIX
NIL
2.2
A

3.4

1.7

4.1

SEQUENCE

Activity

Activity

TIME
MIN.

IMMEDIATE
PREDECESSOR
MATRIX
PMATRIX
NIL

2.2

Activity IMMEDIATE
FOLLOWER
MATRIX
FMATRIX
A
B
C
D

3.4

1.7

4.1

2.7

2.7

3.3

3.3

2.6

Nil

2.6

Nil

TIME Activity
MIN.

IMMEDIATE
PREDECESSOR
MATRIX
PMATRIX
NIL

2.2

3.4

Activity

IMMEDIATE
FOLLOWER
MATRIX
FMATRIX
B
C
D

1.7

4.1
C
E

SEQUENCE

Activity

SEQUENCE

Activity

TIME
MIN.

IMMEDIATE
PREDECESSOR
MATRIX
PMATRIX
NIL

2.2

Activity IMMEDIATE
FOLLOWER
MATRIX
FMATRIX
A
B
C
D

3.4

1.7

4.1

2.7

2.7

3.3

3.3

2.6

Nil

2.6

Nil

SEQUENCE

Activity

20

Activity IMMEDIATE
PREDECESSOR
MATRIX
PMATRIX
NIL
A
B
A

TIME
MIN.

Activity

2.2

IMMEDIATE
FOLLOWER
MATRIX
FMATRIX
B
C D

3.4

1.7

4.1

2.7

3.3

2.6

Nil

SEQUENCE

Activity

Activity IMMEDIATE
PREDECESSOR
MATRIX
PMATRIX
A
NIL

TIME
MIN.

Activity

2.2

3.4

Activity IMMEDIATE
PREDECESSOR
MATRIX
PMATRIX
A
NIL

TIME Activity IMMEDIATE

MIN.
FOLLOWER
MATRIX
FMATRIX
2.2
A
B
C
D

3.4

1.7

4.1

2.7

3.3

2.6

Nil

SEQUENCE

Activity

Activity

IMMEDIATE
FOLLOWER
MATRIX
FMATRIX
B
C
D

1.7

4.1
C
E

TIME
MIN.

IMMEDIATE
PREDECESSOR
MATRIX
PMATRIX
NIL

2.2

Activity IMMEDIATE
FOLLOWER
MATRIX
FMATRIX
A
B
C D

3.4

1.7

4.1

2.7

2.7

3.3

3.3

2.6

Nil

2.6

Nil

SEQUENCE

Activity

SEQUENCE

Activity

21

Activity IMMEDIATE
TIME
PREDECESSOR MIN.
MATRIX
PMATRIX
A
NIL
2.2

Activity

IMMEDIATE FOLLOWER
MATRIX
FMATRIX

3.4

1.7

4.1

2.7

3.3

2.6

Nil

SEQUENCE

Activity
Time
Station
Station time

A
2.2
1
2.2

D
4.1
2
4.1

B
3.4
3

C
1.7
3
5.1

E
2.7
4

F
3.3
4
6.0

G
2.6
5
2.6

Assembly Line Balancing Steps

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

PHASE 2
In phase 2:
The solution obtained is improved to minimise
smoothness index
How : By reallocation tasks among the stations
The re-allocation may involve
Shifting activities
Interchanging activities ( two way or three way)
Merging stations
But care must be taken to ensure that the cycle
time and precedence constraints are not violated.

PRACTICE PROBLEMS

Determine tasks (operations)

Determine sequence
Draw precedence diagram
Estimate task times
Calculate cycle time
Calculate number of work stations
Assign tasks
Calculate efficiency

22

Precedence Diagram Example

10
Min.
A

11

C
4

5
3

D
12

11

TRY WITH C= 15 min

Longest task time - choose task with
longest operation time
Most following tasks - choose task with
largest number of following tasks
Ranked positional weight - choose task
where the sum of the times for each
following task is longest
Shortest task time - choose task with
shortest operation time
Least number of following tasks - choose
task with fewest subsequent tasks

TRY WITH DIFFERENT HEURISTICS

ALB Example:

Assume we wish to assemble 125 units per hour. In

order to maintain required volume, we must produce
one completed unit every 28.8 seconds

LPT with random tie breaker

Most followers with tie breakers as LPT and
random
Least followers with LPT as tie breaker
Shortest processing time with random tie
breaker
Least number of predecessors with random tie
breaker
Random selection rule
RPW
Two phase method

23

Synopsis of assembly line balancing

The work elements, precedence requirements and time requirements to assemble a picture
frame are shown here.
Elements

A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Description

Attach left frame side to top of frame

Attach right frame side to bottom of frame
Attach left and right frame subassemblies
Cut 8-inch by 10-inch glass
Cut 8-inch by 10-inch cardboard
Place glass into frame
Place cardboard into frame
Secure cardboard and glass
Apply descriptive label to glass

Precedence

Time (min)

A, B
C, D
E, F
F, G
D

0.35
0.35
0.70
0.50
0.50
0.20
0.20
0.50
0.10

Construct a precedence diagram of the process and label task times.

Set up an assembly line capable of producing 1,600 frames per 40-hour week.
Calculate the efficiency and balance delay of the line.
Calculate the maximum number of frames that can be assembled each week.
Rebalance the line for maximum production. Indicate the composition of each station.
Assume the company can sell as many frames as can be produced. If workers are paid
$8 an hour and the profit per frame is $5, should the production quota be set to the
93
maximum? Assume one worker per station.

1.

Set up a precedence table.

2.

Compute required cycle time:

C = (production time) / (required output in units)

3.

Compute minimum cycle time:

CMIN = time for longest task

4.

Compute minimum number of stations:

SMIN = (sum of all times) / C
94

Synopsis of assembly line balancing

(cont.)
5.

Select rule by which tasks are assigned to work stations.

Examples:
(1) select tasks with longest operation times first or
(2) select tasks with largest number of following tasks first

6.

Assign tasks to the first work station until the sum of the
task times are equal to the cycle time, or no other tasks
are feasible. Repeat for stations 2, 3, until tasks are
assigned.

7.

Evaluate the efficiency of the balance:

E = (sum of all times) / (actual nbr. of stations x C)

95

24