advantages with lines
+ Supports standardization and specification
+ Minimizes the number of planning points
+ Low lead times
disadvantages with lines
- Reduced flexibility
- Higher investment costs
- Lower utilization
Station
a defined physial area where a sequence of operations is performed
Work operation
A defined task that has to be performed on the product to increase or help to increase value.
Cycle time
Time it takes for one station to perform its operations.
Takt time
The maximum time the stationat a productionline have available befor the product moves forward.
Disturbance
any breakdown or problem in one or more stations resulting in a stop or higher cycle time than designed.
Balancing Losses
Stations have different designed cycle times.
B=NC-T/NC where N = number of stations, C = highest cycle time and T = Total time for the work tasks on the product.
System losses
\+ Variation in stations' cycle time \+production disturbances - breakdowns - small stoppages \+ Interrelations between stations - Blocked - starved
Bottleneck identification
\+High utilization \+Seldom blocked or starved \+ Higher buffer levels upstream \+Resources blocked upstream \+Resources starved downstream.
Objectives of line balancing
- Reduce balancing losses; increased efficiency
- Equal amount of work at each station; Quality and social sustainability aspects
- Better assembly sequence; Quality and ergonomics aspects
Theory of constraints
- Identify the system’s constraint(s)
- Decide how to exploit the system’sconstraint(s)
- Subordinate other resources to the constraint(s)
- Elevate the system’s constraint(s)
- If in any of the previous steps a constrint is broken, go back to step 1.
