MN 3374

MANUFACTURING SYSTEMS

Brunel University of West London

Dept of System Engineering
Module Co-ordinator: Dr M. Özbayrak
 Chapter 17

Manual Assembly Lines

Problems 17.17-18-19/p. 560
The table below defines the precedence relationships and element times
for a new model toy.

Work
Te (min) Immediate Predecessors
Element
1 0.5 -
2 0.3 1
3 0.8 1
4 0.2 2
5 0.1 2
6 0.6 3
7 0.4 4,5
8 0.5 3,5
9 0.3 7,8
10 0.6 6,9
Σ=Twc= 4.3
(a) construct the precedence diagram for this job
(b) if the ideal cycle time=1.1 min and repositioning time=0.1 min
and uptime proportion is assumed to be 1.0 min, what is the
theoretical minimum number of workstations required to minimize
the balance delay under the assumption that there will be one
worker per station?
(c) assign the work elements to stations by using the following rules:
largest candidate rule, the
Kilbridge and Wester method and the
ranked positional weights method

(d) compute the balance delay for your solution

Useful formulas
Theoretical minimum number of work stations/workers

* Twc
w  minimum integer  (17.9/p.527)
Tc
where:
n
Twc   T (17.15/p.530)
i1 si the total work content (sum of all times of all work elements)

Tc= the cycle time of the line (min/cycle)

Balance delay
(indication of the time loss due to imperfect balancing)
(wTs  Twc )
d (17.17/p.532)
wTs
where:
Ts  Max T   Tc  Tr (17.11/p.528) maximum allowable service time
 si 
repositioning time (min/cycle)
cycle time for the assembly line (min/cycle)
(a) precedence diagram

0.2
4
0.3 0.4
7
2 0.3
0.1 9
0.5
5 0.5
1 8 0.6
0.8 10
3 0.6
6
(b) if the ideal cycle time=1.1 min and repositioning time=0.1 min
and uptime proportion is assumed to be 1.0 min, what is the
theoretical minimum number of workstations required to minimize
the balance delay under the assumption that there will be one
worker per station?

theoretical minimum number of work stations/workers

* Twc * Twc 4.3 (min)
w  minimum integer  w   5
Tc Ts 1 (min)
(17.9/p.527)

Attention: we will consider Ts instead, so as to account for all time delays

Ts  Max T   Tc  Tr (17.11/p.528)

 si 
=0.1 (min/cycle) repositioning time
= 1.1 (min/cycle) cycle time for the assembly line
Ts  1.1 0.1 (min)  Ts  1min

(c) assign the work elements to stations by using the following

rules
Largest Candidate Rule
Steps
1) List work elements in descending order according to
their Te values
2) Starting from the top of the list assign to the 1st work
station the work element that:
-has all its precedence constraints satisfied
-its addition to the work station does not result in
Te>Ts
3) Cross out this work element from the listing as well
as from all the places where it appears as a
predecessor of other work elements
4) Proceed to the next work station when no more work
elements can be assigned to the current one
5) Repeat steps 1 and 2 until all work elements have
been assigned
 Work Te Work Te
Element (min)
Pred. Station
Element (min)
Te (min)
3 0.8 1 1 1 0.5
6 0.6 3 2 0.3
10 0.6 6,9 4 0.2 1.0
1 0.5 - 2 3 0.8
8 0.5 3,5 5 0.1 0.9
7 0.4 4,5 3 6 0.6
2 0.3 1 7 0.4 1.0
9 0.3 7,8 4 8 0.5
4 0.2 2 9 0.3 0.8
5 0.1 2 5 10 0.6 0.6
Twc= 4.3

Ts= 1 min
Kilbridge and Wester method
Steps
1) arrange work elements in the precedence diagram in
columns
2) list elements according to the columns they appear in (if a given
element can be located in more than one columns, all these columns
should be listed)

3) follow the procedure that applies for the largest

candidate rule
 0.2
4
0.3 0.4
2 7
0.1 0.3
0.5 9
5
1 0.5
0.8 8 0.6
3 10
0.6
6

I II III IV V VI
 Work Te
Col. Pred. Station
Work Te T e
Element (min) Element (min) (min)
1 0.5 I - 1 1 0.5
2 0.3 II 1 2 0.3
3 0.8 II 1 4 0.2 1.0
4 0.2 III 2 2 3 0.8
5 0.1 III 2 5 0.1 0.9
6 0.6 III 3 3 6 0.6
7 0.4 IV 4,5 7 0.4 1.0
8 0.5 IV 3,5 4 8 0.5
9 0.3 V 7,8 9 0.3 0.8
10 0.6 VI 6,9 5 10 0.6 0.6
Twc= 4.3

Ts= 1 min
 Ranked Positional Weights Method
Steps
1) calculate the RPW (Ranked Positional Weight) for each work element

RPWi=time for work element i + (time of work elements following work element i in the
precedence diagram)

2) list work elements in descending order based on their

RPW
3) follow the procedure that applies for the largest
candidate rule
 0.2 precedence diagram
4
0.3 0.4
7
2 0.3
0.1 9
0.5
5 0.5
1 8 0.6
0.8 10
3 0.6
6
Calculation of the RPWi
for example:
RPW7=0.4+0.3+0.6=1.3
RPW5=0.1+0.4+0.5+0.3+0.6=1.9
RPW1=0.5+0.3+0.8+0.2+0.1+0.6+0.4+0.5+0.3+0.6=4.3
RPW10=0.6
 Work Te
RPW Pred. Station
Work Te T e
Element (min) Element (min) (min)
1 0.5 4.3 - 1 1 0.5
3 0.8 2.8 1 2 0.3
2 0.3 2.4 1 5 0.1 0.9
5 0.1 1.9 2 2 3 0.8
4 0.2 1.5 2 4 0.2 1.0
8 0.5 1.4 3,5 3 8 0.5
7 0.4 1.3 4,5 7 0.4 0.9
6 0.6 1.2 3 4 6 0.6
9 0.3 0.9 7,8 9 0.3 0.9
10 0.6 0.6 6,9 5 10 0.6 0.6
Twc= 4.3

Ts= 1 min
(d) compute the balance delay for your solution

for all the three cases above:

(wTs  Twc )
d
wTs

w= 5 work stations or workers

w (integer) 
Twc 4.3
  4.3 
Ts 1
Ts= 1 min
Twc= 4.3 min

51 (min)  4.3 (min)



d 
51(min)

 d 0.14 or 14%
end of session