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Cellular Bucket Brigades On U-Lines With Discrete Work Stations, Yun Fong Lim, Yue Wu
Cellular Bucket Brigades On U-Lines With Discrete Work Stations, Yun Fong Lim, Yue Wu
Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business
It is challenging to maximize and maintain productivity of a U-line with discrete stations under the impact of variability. This is because maximizing productivity requires assigning workers to suitable tasks and maintaining productivity requires sufficient flexibility in task assignment to absorb the impact of variability. To achieve this goal, we propose an operating protocol to coordinate workers on the U-line. Under the protocol the system can be configured such that its productivity is maximized. Workers are allowed to dynamically share work so that the system can effectively absorb the impact of variability. Analysis based on a deterministic model shows that …
Maximizing Throughput Of Bucket Brigades On Discrete Work Stations, Yun Fong Lim, Kum Khiong Yang
Maximizing Throughput Of Bucket Brigades On Discrete Work Stations, Yun Fong Lim, Kum Khiong Yang
Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business
One way to coordinate workers along an assembly line that has fewer workers than work stations is to form a bucket brigade. The throughput of a bucket brigade on discrete work stations may be compromised due to blocking even if workers are sequenced from slowest to fastest. For a given work distribution on the stations we find policies that maximize the throughput of the line. When workers have very different production rates, fully cross-training the workers and sequencing them from slowest to fastest is almost always the best policy. This policy outperforms other policies for most work distributions except for …
A Comparison Of Cross Training Policies In Different Job Shops, Kum Khiong Yang
A Comparison Of Cross Training Policies In Different Job Shops, Kum Khiong Yang
Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business
This research compares a set of cross-training policies represented by different numbers of cross-trained workers, additional skills per cross-trained worker, and additional machines. The policies are evaluated in job shops, represented by different efficiency losses, labour utilization, variability in processing times, and worker absenteeism. Our results show that adding one machine in each department and cross-training one or two workers from each department with one additional skill is generally sufficient to realize most of the benefits of cross-training. Cross-training is thus beneficial in most job shops, unless the cost of the minimal training and spare machines is high. Our results …