Mixed-model moving assembly line material placement optimization for a shorter time-dependent worker walking time

Sedding, Helmut A.

doi:10.1007/s10951-023-00787-5

Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://doi.org/10.21256/zhaw-28615

Publication type:	Article in scientific journal
Type of review:	Peer review (publication)
Title:	Mixed-model moving assembly line material placement optimization for a shorter time-dependent worker walking time
Authors:	Sedding, Helmut A.
et. al:	No
DOI:	10.1007/s10951-023-00787-5 10.21256/zhaw-28615
Published in:	Journal of Scheduling
Issue Date:	2-Sep-2023
Publisher / Ed. Institution:	Springer
ISSN:	1094-6136 1099-1425
Language:	English
Subjects:	Scheduling; Moving assembly line; Walking time; Material placement; Mixed-model production
Subject (DDC):	658.5: Production management
Abstract:	Car mass production commonly involves a moving assembly line that mixes several car models. This requires plenty of material supplies at the line side, but available space is scarce. Thus, material is placed apart from ideal positions. Then, picking it up involves walking along the line. This time is non-productive and can encompass 10–15% of total production time. Thus, it is important to estimate and minimize it during production planning. However, the calculations are difficult because the conveyor continuously moves. Therefore, most literature bounds walking time by a constant, but this discards valuable potential. To better approximate it, we use a time-dependent V-shaped function. A comparison indicates that for a majority of instances, constant walking time estimates of 95% confidence are at least 51% higher. Then, we introduce a model to optimize material positions such that the model-mix walking time is minimized. This poses an NP-hard sequencing problem with a recursive and nonlinear objective function. Our key discovery is a lower bound on the objective of partial solutions, established by a Lagrangian relaxation that can be solved in quadratic time. Resulting branch and bound based algorithms allow to quickly and reliably optimize up to the largest real-world sized instances.
Further description:	Erworben im Rahmen der Schweizer Nationallizenzen (http://www.nationallizenzen.ch)
URI:	https://digitalcollection.zhaw.ch/handle/11475/28615
Fulltext version:	Published version
License (according to publishing contract):	CC BY 4.0: Attribution 4.0 International
Departement:	School of Engineering
Organisational Unit:	Institute of Data Analysis and Process Design (IDP)
Appears in collections:	Publikationen School of Engineering

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Sedding, H. A. (2023). Mixed-model moving assembly line material placement optimization for a shorter time-dependent worker walking time. Journal of Scheduling. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10951-023-00787-5

Sedding, H.A. (2023) ‘Mixed-model moving assembly line material placement optimization for a shorter time-dependent worker walking time’, Journal of Scheduling [Preprint]. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10951-023-00787-5.

H. A. Sedding, “Mixed-model moving assembly line material placement optimization for a shorter time-dependent worker walking time,” Journal of Scheduling, Sep. 2023, doi: 10.1007/s10951-023-00787-5.

SEDDING, Helmut A., 2023. Mixed-model moving assembly line material placement optimization for a shorter time-dependent worker walking time. Journal of Scheduling. 2 September 2023. DOI 10.1007/s10951-023-00787-5

Sedding, Helmut A. 2023. “Mixed-Model Moving Assembly Line Material Placement Optimization for a Shorter Time-Dependent Worker Walking Time.” Journal of Scheduling, September. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10951-023-00787-5.

Sedding, Helmut A. “Mixed-Model Moving Assembly Line Material Placement Optimization for a Shorter Time-Dependent Worker Walking Time.” Journal of Scheduling, Sept. 2023, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10951-023-00787-5.