Abstract
Mixed Model Assembly Lines (MMALs) are increasingly used to produce differentiated products on a single assembly line without work-in-process storage, Usually, a typical MMAL consists of a number of (1) stations doing exactly the same operation on every job, (2) stations involving operations with different choices, and (3) stations offering operations that are not performed on every job, or that are performed on every job but with many options. For stations of the first type there is no sequencing problem at all. However, for the second type a set-up cost is incurred each time the operation switches from one choice to another. At the third type of stations, different models, requring different amounts and choices of assembly work, creates an uneven flow of work along the line and variations in the work load at these stations. When a subsequence of jobs requires more work load than the station can handle, it is necessary to help the operations at the station or to complete the work elsewhere. Therefore, a schedule which minimize the sum of set-up cost and utility work cost is desired. So this study has developed Fixed Random Ordering Rule (FROR), Fixed Ascending Ordering Rule (FAOR), Fixed Descending Ordering Rule, and Extended NHR (ENHR). ENHR is to choose optimal color ordering of each batch with NHR, and to decide job sequence of the batch with it, too. As the result of experiments, ENHR was the best heuristic algorithm. NHR is a new heuristic rule in which only the minimum addition of violations from both partial sequence and unassigned sequence at every branch could be considered. And this is a heuristic sequencing rule for the third type of stations at MMAL. This study developed one more heuristic algorithm to test the performance of NHR, which is named as Practical Heuristic Rule (PHR).
