Solving the problem of sequencing multiple assembly lines in lean manufacturing environment

• Grant number: 11/18488-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: January 01, 2012
• End date: December 31, 2013
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Production Engineering - Operational Research
• Principal Investigator: Antônio Augusto Chaves
• Grantee: Mariana Monteiro Ushizima
• Host Institution: Instituto de Ciência e Tecnologia (ICT). Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP). Campus São José dos Campos. São José dos Campos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Since lean manufacturing concepts have been adopted, several studies dealing with the effective utilization of mixed-model assembly lines (MMAL) focus on the sequencing of such lines. This project will deal with the MMAL in multiple lines in a lean manufacturing environment, where an operational structure of several domestic suppliers (kanbans) supply many MMAL simultaneously, so that all the assembly lines can receive parts or sub-assembly from all the suppliers. To optimize this system, the sequencing must seek constant consumption of parts or subassemblies, minimizing then the scaling of kanbans and intermediate stocks. Based on the classic Mondem problem (Mondem, 1983), which determines the sequencing of a single line, Sanches et al. (2010) presented a mathematical model which seeks the sequencing of assembly lines that minimizes the distance between the ideal consumption and the real consumption. Therefore, this project aims to solve the MMAL sequencing problem using classical meta-heuristics, such as Iterated Local Search (ILS) and Variable Neighborhood Search (VNS), and the hybrid method Clustering Search (CS). In order to validate the proposed algorithms, computational tests will be performed for different cases found in the literature.