Buffering unbalanced assembly systems

摘要: Many assembly systems are required to hold minimal work-in-process inventories because of space or capital limitations. Unfortunately, in the presence variable processing times, output from an line may be severely restricted if no inventory is held. Thus, lines often should designed have minimal, but not zero, buffer capacity. In this paper we address issue how one optimally deploy limited capacity unbalanced systems, and find that answer sometimes counterintuitive. We study simple asynchronous with random times develop heuristic rules can used improve existing operations support designers who faced increasingly rapid cycles new product introduction. apply these heuristics several larger discover they perform quite well.