System performance in paraIlei assembly systems with sequence restrictions due to synchronized feeding of materials

Book chapter, 1991

This chapter discusses system performance in parallei model-rnix assembly systems with sequence restrictions due to synchronized feeding of materials. If the se systems have several steps each with paralIei channels, the assembly objects must be matched with the material, Le. presented to each step in a predetermined sequence. This requires sequencing buffers between steps. Synchronized feeding of materials is becoming increasingly common as Just-inTime (JlT) delivery and intern al subassembly of components are introduced. Such components are called synchronous components. This chapter presents a classification of components with respect to their frequency in the production. Two simulation studies are also presented. The first shows that a large part of the idle time is caused by sequence restrictions. The second study compares two types of production planning for systems with sequence restrictions. The use of separate sequences for each step is compared to the straightforward solution of using a fixed sequence throughout the system.