Simultaneous balancing and scheduling of flexible mixed model assembly lines with sequence dependent task time increments

Abstract

General tendency in mixed model assembly line literature is to separate balancing and model sequencing decisions to different time frames. However, today's competitive market conditions force decision makers to respond quickly to changing demand patterns. Therefore, assembly line balancing and mixed model sequencing problems should be considered together. In this paper, we state the problem structure with sequence dependent task time increments and flexibility in task assignment. Furthermore, we compare the performance of two approaches which are proposed to solve the stated problem by using various problem instances. © Izmir University of Economics, Turkey, 2010.