Papers by Keyword: Robust Layout

Abstract: In manufacturing business, variability in customer demand over time-periods has led to production flexibility on the shop floor area. Placement of machines in a limited manufacturing area is one of the essential plant designs in material flow between machines. Shortened material handling distance can be considered a key performance index of internal logistic activity in a manufacturing firm. This paper presents the application of the Genetic Algorithm for designing machine layouts that minimise total material handling cost based on demand uncertainty during time-periods. The experimental study was computationally conducted based on two scenarios: re-layout after demand changing; and robust layout (no machine movement even if demand changes). A trade-off between the shortened handling distance and total cost was discussed as being a business decision-making tool.

Abstract: Facility layout plays an important role in the performance of manufacturing systems. Firstly, this paper describes the derivations and classification of facility layout problem (FLP). The concepts of static facility layout problem (SFLP), dynamic facility layout problem (DFLP) and robust layout problem are introduced, and their main performance characteristics are compared with each other. Then, the procedure of rearrangement costs in DFLP is proposed. Some main characteristics of SFLP and DFLP, DFLP and robust layout are compared respectively. Lastly, the difference and connection among SFLP, DFLP and robust layout are analyzed. The research results indicate that the dynamic facility layout and robust layout are suitable for the dynamic and changeable manufacturing systems. The method for development of DFLP and its implementation are presented based on SFLP and robust layout.