Optimal Just-in-Time Schedules for Flexible Transfer Lines
International Journal of Flexible Manufacturing Systems, Vol. 6, No. 2, pp. 137-154, April 1994
18 Pages Posted: 12 May 2008 Last revised: 3 Apr 2009
Abstract
Flexible transfer lines or mixed-model assembly lines are capable of diversified small-lot production due to negligible switch-over costs. With these lines, it is possible to implement just-in-time (JIT) production, which involves producing only the necessary parts in the necessary quantities at the necessary times. The problem of sequencing flexible transfer lines according to the JIT philosophy can be formulated as a nonlinear integer programming problem. Heuristic algorithms to solve the problem have appeared in the literature. In this paper, we show that the problem can be explicitly reduced to an assignment problem. Thus, we provide an efficient algorithm for an optimal solution to the JIT sequencing problem.
Keywords: just-in-time production, flexible transfer lines, mixed-model assembly lines, assignment problem,JIT production system
JEL Classification: M11, C61
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation