Assembly Line Balancing Problem Single and Two-Sided Structures 1

X

AssembIy Line BaIancing ProbIem
SingIe and Two-Sided Structures

WaIdenar Crzechca
Tnc Si|csian Unitcrsi|q cf Tccnnc|cgq
Pc|an

1. Introduction

The nanufacluring assenlIy Iine vas firsl inlroduced ly Henry Iord in lhe earIy 19OOs. Il
vas designed lo le an efficienl, highIy produclive vay of nanufacluring a parlicuIar
producl. The lasic assenlIy Iine consisls of a sel of vorkslalions arranged in a Iinear
fashion, vilh each slalion connecled ly a naleriaI handIing device. The lasic novenenl of
naleriaI lhrough an assenlIy Iine legins vilh a parl leing fed inlo lhe firsl slalion al
a predelernined feed rale. A slalion is considered any poinl on lhe assenlIy Iine in vhich
a lask is perforned on lhe parl. These lasks can le perforned ly nachinery, rolols, and/or
hunan operalors. Once lhe parl enlers a slalion, a lask is lhen perforned on lhe parl, and
lhe parl is fed lo lhe nexl operalion. The line il lakes lo conpIele a lask al each operalion is
knovn as lhe process line (Sury, 1971). The cycIe line of an assenlIy Iine is predelernined
ly a desired produclion rale. This produclion rale is sel so lhal lhe desired anounl of end
producl is produced vilhin a cerlain line period (aylars, 1986). In order for lhe assenlIy
Iine lo nainlain a cerlain produclion rale, lhe sun of lhe processing lines al each slalion
nusl nol exceed lhe slalions cycIe line (Ionseca el aI, 2OO5). If lhe sun of lhe processing
lines vilhin a slalion is Iess lhan lhe cycIe line, idIe line is said lo le presenl al lhal slalion
(LreI el aI,1998). One of lhe nain issues concerning lhe deveIopnenl of an assenlIy Iine is
hov lo arrange lhe lasks lo le perforned. This arrangenenl nay le sonevhal suljeclive,
lul has lo le diclaled ly inpIied ruIes sel forlh ly lhe produclion sequence (Kao, 1976). Ior
lhe nanufacluring of any ilen, lhere are sone sequences of lasks lhal nusl le foIIoved. The
assenlIy Iine laIancing prolIen (ALI) originaled vilh lhe invenlion of lhe assenlIy Iine.
HeIgeson el aI (HeIgeson el aI, 1961) vere lhe firsl lo propose lhe ALI, and SaIveson
(SaIveson, 1955) vas lhe firsl lo pulIish lhe prolIen in ils nalhenalicaI forn. Hovever,
during lhe firsl forly years of lhe assenlIy Iines exislence, onIy lriaI-and-error nelhods
vere used lo laIance lhe Iines (LreI el aI,, 1998). Since lhen, lhere have leen nunerous
nelhods deveIoped lo soIve lhe differenl forns of lhe ALI. SaIveson (SaIveson, 1955)
provided lhe firsl nalhenalicaI allenpl ly soIving lhe prolIen as a Iinear progran. Culjahr
and Nenhauser (Culjahr & Nenhauser, 1964) shoved lhal lhe ALI prolIen faIIs inlo lhe
cIass of NI-hard conlinaloriaI oplinizalion prolIens. This neans lhal an oplinaI soIulion
is nol guaranleed for prolIens of significanl size. Therefore, heurislic nelhods have lecone
lhe nosl popuIar lechniques for soIving lhe prolIen. Aulhor of lhis look chapler
1
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AUTOMATON & CONTROL - Theory and Practice 2

underIines lhe inporlance of lhe finaI resuIls eslinalion and proposes for singIe and lvo-
sided assenlIy Iine laIancing prolIen nodified neasures.

2. Two-sided AssembIy Lines

Tvo-sided assenlIy Iines (Iig. 1.) are lypicaIIy found in producing Iarge-sized producls,
such as lrucks and luses. AssenlIing lhese producls is in sone respecls differenl fron
assenlIing snaII producls. Sone assenlIy operalions prefer lo le perforned al one of lhe
lvo sides (arlhoIdi, 1993).








Iig. 1. Tvo-sided assenlIy Iine slruclure

Lel us consider, for exanpIe, a lruck assenlIy Iine. InslaIIing a gas lank, air fiIler, and
looIlox can le nore easiIy achieved al lhe Iefl-hand side of lhe Iine, vhereas nounling
a lallery, air lank, and nuffIer prefers lhe righl-hand side. AssenlIing an axIe, propeIIer
shafl, and radialor does nol have any preference in lheir operalion direclions so lhal lhey
can le done al any side of lhe Iine. The consideralion of lhe preferred operalion direclions is
inporlanl since il can grealIy infIuence lhe produclivily of lhe Iine, in parlicuIar vhen
assigning lasks, Iaying oul faciIilies, and pIacing looIs and fixlures in a lvo-sided assenlIy
Iine (Kin el aI, 2OO1). A lvo-sided assenlIy Iine in praclice can provide severaI sulslanliaI
advanlages over a one-sided assenlIy Iine (arlhoIdi, 1993). These incIude lhe foIIoving: (1)
il can shorlen lhe Iine Ienglh, vhich neans lhal fever vorkers are required, (2) il lhus can
reduce lhe anounl of lhroughpul line, (3) il can aIso lenefil fron Iovered cosl of looIs and
fixlures since lhey can le shared ly lolh sides of a naled-slalion, and (4) il can reduce
naleriaI handIing, vorkers novenenl and sel-up line, vhich olhervise nay nol le easiIy
eIininaled. These advanlages give a good reason for uliIizing lvo-sided Iines for
assenlIing Iarge-sized producls. A Iine laIancing prolIen is usuaIIy represenled ly
a precedence diagran as iIIuslraled in Iig. 2.










Iig. 2. Irecedence graph
Station n
Conveyor
Station 1 Station 3
Station (n-2) Station 4 Station 2
Station (n-3) Station (n-1)


1

4

5


2


3

6

7

8

9

10

11

12
(4, L)
(5, E)
(3, R)
(6, L)
(4, E)
(4, R)
(5, L)
(4, E) (5, E)
(8, E)
(7, E)
(1, R)
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Assembly Line Balancing Problem Single and Two-Sided Structures 3

A circIe indicales a lask, and an arc Iinking lvo lasks represenls lhe precedence reIalion
lelveen lhe lasks. Lach lask is associaled vilh a IaleI of (|
i
, ), vhere |
i
is lhe lask processing
line and (=L, R or L) is lhe preferred operalion direclion. L and R, respecliveIy, indicale
lhal lhe lask shouId le assigned lo a Iefl- and a righl-side slalion. A lask associaled vilh L
can le perforned al eilher side of lhe Iine. WhiIe laIancing assenlIy Iines, il is generaIIy
needed lo lake accounl of lhe fealures specific lo lhe Iines. In a one-sided assenlIy Iine, if
precedence reIalions are considered approprialeIy, aII lhe lasks assigned lo a slalion can le
carried oul conlinuousIy vilhoul any inlerruplion. Hovever, in a lvo-sided assenlIy Iine,
sone lasks assigned lo a slalion can le deIayed ly lhe lasks assigned lo ils conpanion
(arlhoIdi, 1993). In olher vords, idIe line is sonelines unavoidalIe even lelveen lasks
assigned lo lhe sane slalion. Consider, for exanpIe, lask j and ils innediale predecessor i.
Suppose lhal j is assigned lo a slalion and i lo ils conpanion slalion. Task j cannol le slarled
unliI lask i is conpIeled. Therefore, laIancing such a lvo-sided assenlIy Iine, unIike a one-
sided assenlIy Iine, needs lo consider lhe sequence-dependenl finish line of lasks.

3. Heuristic Methods in AssembIy Line BaIancing ProbIem

The heurislic approach lases on Iogic and connon sense ralher lhan on nalhenalicaI
proof. Heurislics do nol guaranlee an oplinaI soIulion, lul resuIls in good feasilIe soIulions
vhich approach lhe lrue oplinun.

3.1 SingIe AssembIy Line BaIancing Heuristic Methods
Mosl of lhe descriled heurislic soIulions in Iileralure are lhe ones designed for soIving
singIe assenlIy Iine laIancing prolIen. Moreover, nosl of lhen are lased on sinpIe
priorily ruIes (conslruclive nelhods) and generale one or a fev feasilIe soIulions. Task-
orienled procedures choose lhe highesl priorily lask fron lhe Iisl of avaiIalIe lasks and
assign il lo lhe earIiesl slalion vhich is assignalIe. Anong lask-orienled procedures ve can
dislinguish innediale-updale-firsl-fil (IUII) and generaI-firsl-fil nelhods depending on
vhelher lhe sel of avaiIalIe lasks is updaled innedialeIy afler assigning a lask or afler lhe
assigning of aII currenlIy avaiIalIe lasks. Due lo ils grealer fIexiliIily innediale-updale-
firsl-fil nelhod is used nore frequenlIy. The nain idea lehind lhis heurislic is assigning
lasks lo slalions lasing on lhe nunericaI score. There are severaI vays lo delernine
(caIcuIale) lhe score for each lasks. One couId easiIy creale his ovn vay of delernining lhe
score, lul il is nol olvious if il yieIds good resuIl. In lhe foIIoving seclion five differenl
nelhods found in lhe Iileralure are presenled aIong vilh lhe soIulion lhey give for our
sinpIe exanpIe. The nelhods are inpIenenled in lhe Line aIancing progran as veII.
Iron lhe nonenl lhe appropriale score for each lask is delernined lhere is no difference in
execulion of nelhods and lhe required sleps lo ollain lhe soIulion are as foIIovs:
STLI 1. Assign a nunericaI score n(x) lo each lask x.
STLI 2. Updale lhe sel of avaiIalIe lasks (lhose vhose innediale predecessors have leen
aIready assigned).
STLI 3. Anong lhe avaiIalIe lasks, assign lhe lask vilh lhe highesl nunericaI score lo lhe
firsl slalion in vhich lhe capacily and precedence conslrainls viII nol le vioIaled. Co lo
STLI 2.
The nosl popuIar heurislics vhich leIongs lo IUII group are:
IUII-RIW Innediale Updale Iirsl Iil - Ranked IosilionaI Weighl,
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AUTOMATON & CONTROL - Theory and Practice 4

IUII-NOI Innediale Updale Iirsl Iil - Nunler of IoIIovers,
IUII-NOII Innediale Updale Iirsl Iil - Nunler of Innediale IoIIovers,
IUII-NOI Innediale Updale Iirsl Iil - Nunler of Iredecessors,
IUII-WLT Innediale Updale Iirsl Iil - Work LIenenl Tine.

3.2 Two-sided AssembIy Line BaIancing Heuristic Method
A lask group consisls of a considered lask i and aII of ils predecessors. Such groups are
generaled for every un-assigned lask. As nenlioned earIier, laIancing a lvo-sided
assenlIy Iine needs lo addilionaIIy consider operalion direclions and sequence dependency
of lasks, vhiIe crealing nev groups (Lee el aI, 2OO1). WhiIe forning iniliaI groups IC(i), lhe
operalion direclion is leing checked aII lhe line. Ils disaIIoved for a group lo conlain lasks
vilh preferred operalion direclion fron opposile sides. ul, if each lask in iniliaI group is L
- lask, lhe group can le aIIocaled lo any side. In order lo delernine lhe operalion direclions
for such groups, lhe ruIes (direclion ruIes DR) are appIied:
DR 1. Sel lhe operalion direclion lo lhe side vhere lasks can le slarled earIier.
DR 2. The slarl line al lolh sides is lhe sane, sel lhe operalion direclion lo lhe side vhere
ils expecled lo carry oul a Iess anounl of lasks (lolaI operalion line of unassigned L or R
lasks).
CeneraIIy, lasks resuIling fron repealaliIily lesl are lrealed as slarling ones. ul lhere is
exceplion in forn of firsl ileralion, vhere procedure slarls fron searching lasks (iniliaI lasks
IT), vhich are lhe firsl ones in precedence reIalion. Afler lhe firsl slep in lhe firsl ileralion
ve gel:
IC (1) = |1, Tine|IC (1) = 2, Side|IC (1) = 'L
IC (2) = |2, Tine|IC (2) = 5, Side|IC (2) = 'L
IC (3) = |3, Tine|IC (3) = 3, Side|IC (3) = 'R
vhere:
Tine|IC(i) - lolaI processing line of i
lh
iniliaI group,
Side|IC(i) - preference side of i
lh
iniliaI group.
To lhose vho are considered lo le lhe firsl, lhe nexl lasks viII le added, (lhese ones vhich
fuIfiI precedence conslrainls).
Whenever nev lasks are inserled lo lhe group i, lhe direclion, cycIe line and nunler of
innediale predecessors are checked. If lhere are nore predecessors lhan one, lhe crealion of
iniliaI group j cones lo lhe end.
Iirsl ileralion - second slep
IC (1) = |1, 4, 6, Tine|IC (1) = 8, Side|IC (1) = 'L
IC (2) = |2, 5, Tine|IC (2) = 9 , Side|IC (2) = 'L
IC (3) = |3, 5 , Tine|IC (3) = 7 , Side|IC (3) = 'R
When sel of iniliaI groups is crealed, lhe Iasl eIenenls fron lhose groups are lesled for
repealaliIily. If Iasl eIenenl in sel of iniliaI groups IC viII occur nore lhan once (groups
poinled ly arrovs), lhe groups are inlended lo le joined - if lolaI processing line (sunnary
line of considered groups) is Iess or equaI lo cycIe line. Olhervise, lhese eIenenls are
deIeled.
In case of occurring onIy once, lhe Iasl nenler is leing checked if ils predecessors are nol
conlained in IinaI sel IS. If nol, ils renoved as veII. So far, IS is enply.
Iirsl ileralion - lhird slep
IC (1) = |1, 4, Tine|IC (1) = 4, Side|IC (1) = 'L
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Assembly Line Balancing Problem Single and Two-Sided Structures 5

IC (2) = |2, 3, 5, Tine|IC (2) = 12, Side|IC (2) = 'R
Whenever lvo or nore iniliaI groups are joined logelher, or vhen iniliaI group is connecled
vilh lhose one coning fron IinaI sel - lhe doulIe lask is added lo iniliaI lasks needed for
lhe nexl ileralion. In lhe end of each ileralion, crealed iniliaI groups are copied lo IS.
Iirsl ileralion - fourlh slep
IS = | (1, 4), (2, 3, 5) ,
Side|IS (1) = 'L, Side|IS (2) = 'R
Tine |IS(2) = 12, Tine |IS(1) = 14,
IT = |5.
In lhe second ileralion, second slep, ve nay nolice lhal predecessor of Iasl lask coning fron
IC(1) is incIuded in IinaI Sel, IS(2). The silualion resuIls in connecling lolh groups under
hoIding addilionaI condilions:
Side|IC(1) = Side|IS(2),
Tine + line < cycIe.
Afler aII, lhere is no nore IT lasks, hence, preIininary process of crealing finaI sel is
lerninaled.
The presenled nelhod for finding lask groups is lo le sunnarized in sinpIified aIgorilhn
forn. Lel U denole lo le lhe sel of un - assigned lasks yel and IC
i
le a lask group consisling
of lask i and aII ils predecessors (excIuded fron U sel).
STLI 1. If U = enply, go lo slep 5, olhervise, assign slarling lask fron U.
STLI 2. Idenlify IC
i
. Check if il conlains lasks vilh lolh Iefl and righl preference operalion
direclion, lhen renove lask i.
STLI 3. Assign operalion direclion Side| IC
i
of group IC
i
. If IC
i
has R-lask (L-lask ), sel lhe
operalion direclion lo righl (Iefl). Olhervise, appIy so caIIed direclion ruIes DR.
STLI 4. If lhe Iasl lask i in IC
i
is conpIeled vilhin cycIe line, lhe IC
i
is added lo IinaI sel of
candidales IS(i). Olhervise, excIude lask i fron IC
i
and go lo slep 1.
STLI 5. Ior every lask group in IS(i), renove il fron IS if il is conlained vilhin anolher lask
group of IS.
The resuIling lask groups lecone candidales for lhe naled-slalion
IS = |(1,4), (2,3,5,8).
The candidales are produced ly procedures presenled in lhe previous seclion, vhich cIain
lo nol vioIale precedence, operalion direclion reslriclions, and vhals nore il exerls on
groups lo le conpIeled vilhin preIininary delernined cycIe line. Though, aII of candidales
nay le assigned equaIIy, lhe onIy one group nay le chosen. Which group il viII le - for
lhis purpose lhe ruIes heIpfuI in naking decision, viII le defined and expIained leIov:
AR 1. Choose lhe lask group IS(i) lhal nay slarl al lhe earIiesl line.
AR 2. Choose lhe lask group IS(i) lhal invoIves lhe nininun deIay.
AR 3. Choose lhe lask group IS(i) lhal has lhe naxinun processing line.
In lheory, for leller underslanding, ve viII consider a Iefl and righl side of naled - slalion,
vilh sone lasks aIready aIIocaled lo lolh sides. In order lo achieve veII laIanced slalion,
lhe AR 1 is appIied, cause lhe unlaIanced slalion is slaled as lhe one vhich vouId prolalIy
invoIve nore deIay in fulure assignnenl. This is lhe reason, vhy nininizalion nunler of
slalions is nol lhe onIy goaI, lhere are aIso indirecl ones, such as reduclion of unavoidalIe
deIay. This ruIe gives higher priorily lo lhe slalion, vhere Iess lasks are aIIocaled. If lies
occurs, lhe AR 2 is execuled, vhich chooses lhe group vilh lhe Ieasl anounl of deIay anong
lhe considered ones. This ruIe nay aIso resuIl in lie. The Iasl one, poinls al reIaling vork
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AUTOMATON & CONTROL - Theory and Practice 6

vilhin individuaI slalion group ly choosing group of lask vilh highesl processing line. Ior
lhe lhird ruIe lhe lie silualion is inpossilIe lo ollain, lecause of randon seIeclion of lasks.
The inpIenenlalion of alove ruIes is slricl and easy excepl lhe second one. ShorlIy
speaking, second ruIe is lased on lhe lesl, vhich checks each lask conseculiveIy, coning
fron candidales group IS(i) - in order lo see if one of ils predecessors have aIready leen
aIIocaled lo slalion. If il has, lhe difference lelveen slarling line of considered lask and
finished line of ils predecessor aIIocaled lo conpanion slalion is caIcuIaled. The resuIl
shouId le posilive, olhervise line deIay occurs.
Having ruIes for iniliaI grouping and assigning lasks descriled in previous seclions, ve
nay proceed lo fornuIale fornaI procedure of soIving lvo - sided assenlIy Iine laIancing
prolIen (Kin el. aI, 2OO5).
Lel us denole conpanion slalions as j and j,
D(i) - lhe anounl of deIay,
Tine(i) - lolaI processing line (Tine|IS(i)),
S(j) - slarl line al slalion j,
STLI 1. Sel up j = 1, j = j + 1, S(j) = S(j) = O, U - lhe sel of lasks lo le assigned.
STLI 2. Slarl procedure of group crealing (3.2), vhich idenlifies
IS = |IS(1), IS(2), ., IS(n). If IS = C, go lo slep 6.
STLI 3. Ior every IS(i), i = 1,2, . , n - conpule D(i) and Tine(i).
STLI 4. Idenlify one lask group IS(i), using AR ruIes in Seclion 3.3
STLI 5. Assign IS(i) lo a slalion j (j) according lo ils operalion direclion, and updale S(j) =
S(j) + Tine(i) + D(i). U = U - |IS(i), and go lo STLI 2.
STLI 6. If U = C, sel j = j + 1, j = j + 1, S(j) = S(j) = O, and go lo STLI 2, olhervise, slop lhe
procedure.

4. Measures of FinaI ResuIts of AssembIy Line BaIancing ProbIem

Sone neasures of soIulion quaIily have appeared in Iine laIancing prolIen. eIov are
presenled lhree of lhen (SchoII, 1999).
Line efficiency (LL) shovs lhe percenlage uliIizalion of lhe Iine. Il is expressed as ralio of
lolaI slalion line lo lhe cycIe line nuIlipIied ly lhe nunler of vorkslalions:
1OO
K c
ST
LL
K
1 i
i

=
_
=
(1)
vhere: K - lolaI nunler of vorkslalions,
c - cycIe line.
Snoolhness index (SI) descriles reIalive snoolhness for a given assenlIy Iine laIance.
Ierfecl laIance is indicaled ly snoolhness index O. This index is caIcuIaled in lhe foIIoving
nanner:
( )
_
=
=
K
1 i
2
i nax
ST ST SI (2)
vhere:
ST
nax
- naxinun slalion line (in nosl cases cycIe line),
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Assembly Line Balancing Problem Single and Two-Sided Structures 7

ST
i
- slalion line of slalion i.
Tine of lhe Iine (LT) descriles lhe period of line vhich is need for lhe producl lo le
conpIeled on an assenlIy Iine:
( )
K
T 1 K c LT + = (3)
vhere:
c - cycIe line,
K -lolaI nunler of vorkslalions,
T
K
- processing line of Iasl slalion.
The finaI resuIl eslinalion of lvo-sided assenlIy Iine laIance needs sone nodificalion of
exisling neasures (Crzechca, 2OO8).

Tine of Iine for TALI
( ) { }
K K 1
LT c Km 1 Max t(S ),t(S )

= + (4)
vhere:
Kn - nunler of naled-slalions
K - nunler of assigned singIe slalions
l(S
K
) - processing line of lhe Iasl singIe slalion

As far as snoolhness index and Iine efficiency are concerned, ils eslinalion, on conlrary lo
LT, is perforned vilhoul any change lo originaI version. These crilerions sinpIy refer lo
each individuaI slalion, despile of paraIIeI characler of lhe nelhod.
ul for nore delaiIed infornalion aloul lhe laIance of righl or Iefl side of lhe assenlIy Iine
addilionaI neasures viII le proposed:
Snoolhness index of lhe Iefl side
( )
_
=
=
K
1 i
2
iL maxL L
ST ST SI (5)
vhere:
SI
L
- snoolhness index of lhe Iefl side of lvo-sided Iine
ST
naxL
- naxinun of duralion line of Iefl aIIocaled slalions
ST
iL
- duralion line of i-lh Iefl aIIocaled slalion

Snoolhness index of lhe righl side
( )
_
=
=
K
1 i
2
iR maxR R
ST ST SI (6)
vhere:
SI
R
- snoolhness index of lhe righl side of lvo-sided Iine,
ST
naxR
- naxinun of duralion line of righl aIIocaled slalions,
ST
iR
- duralion line of i-lh righl aIIocaled slalion.

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AUTOMATON & CONTROL - Theory and Practice 8

5.

An
gra












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g. 3. Irecedence g
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1
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7
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29
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1O
12
Weighl
edence
s 1O.
QN
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Assembly Line Balancing Problem Single and Two-Sided Structures 9

Iig. 5. AssenlIy Iine laIance for IUII-NOI and IUII-NOII nelhods
Iig. 6. AssenlIy Iine laIance for IUII-WLT nelhod

0HWKRG . %DODQFH /( 6, /7


IUII-RIW


5
S1 - 1, 3, 2
S2 - 6, 4, 8
S3 - 7, 9
S4 - 1O, 5
S5 - 11, 12


86


5,39


45


IUII-NOI


5
S1 - 1, 3, 2
S2 - 6, 4, 8
S3 - 7, 9
S4 - 1O, 5
S5 - 11, 12


86


5,39


45


IUII-NOII


6
S1 - 1, 2, 3
S2 - 5, 4, 7, 8
S3 - 6
S4 - 9
S5 - 1O, 11
S6 - 12


71,67


9,53


52
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AUTOMATON & CONTROL - Theory and Practice 10

Ta

Ta
Th
in
Iig


IU


IU
alIe 2. ResuIls of l
1X
alIe 3. Inpul dala
he resuIls of heuri
a Canll charl - Ii
g. 7. Canll charl o
UII-NOI


6
UII-WLT


6
laIance for IUII
XPEHU RI WDVN
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
1O
11
12
of nuneraicaI ex
islic procedure fo
ig. 7.
of assenlIy Iine l
S1 - 1, 2, 3
S2 - 5, 4, 7, 8
S3 - 6
S4 - 9
S5 - 1O, 11
S6 - 12
S1 - 2, 5, 1
S2 - 3, 6
S3 - 4, 7, 8
S4 - 9
S5 - 1O, 11
S6 - 12
nelhods
3URFHVVLQJ 7
4
5
3
6
4
4
5
4
5
8
7
1
xanpIe - lvo-side
or lhe exanpIe fro
laIance of lvo-sid


71,67


9,53


71,67


9,33
LPH 3RVLW
&RQVWU
L
L
R
L
L
L
L
R
L
L
L
R
ed Iine fron Iig. 2
on Iig. 2 and cyc
ded slruclure (Iig


52


52
WLRQ
UDLQWV
L
L
R
L
L
L
L
R
L
L
L
R
2.
cIe line c=16 are g
g. 2.)
given
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Assembly Line Balancing Problem Single and Two-Sided Structures 11

efore presenling perfornance neasures for currenl exanpIe, il vouId le Iike lo slress
difference in eslinalion of Iine line forn, resuIling fron reslriclions of paraIIeI slalions. In
lvo - sided Iine nelhod vilhin one naled-slalion, lasks are inlended lo perforn ils
operalions al lhe sane line, as il is shovn in exanpIe in Iig. 7., vhere lasks 7, 11
respecliveIy are processed sinuIlaneousIy on singIe slalion 3 and 4, in conlrary lo one -
sided heurislic nelhods. Hence, nodificalion has lo le inlroduced lo lhal parlicuIar
paraneler vhich is lhe consequence of paraIIeIisn. Having lvo naled-slalions fron Iig. 7,
lhe Iine line LT is nol 3*16 + 13, as il vas in originaI expression. We nusl lreal lhose
slalions as lvo doulIe ones (naled-slalions), ralher lhan individuaI ones S
k
(4). As far as
snoolhness index and Iine efficiency are concerned, ils eslinalion, on conlrary lo LT, is
perforned vilhoul any change lo originaI version. These crilerions sinpIy refer lo each
individuaI slalion, despile of paraIIeI characler of lhe nelhod. ul for nore delaiIed
infornalion aloul lhe laIance of righl or Iefl side of lhe assenlIy Iine addilionaI neasures
(5) and (6) vas proposed (Crzechca, 2OO8).

Nane VaIue
LL 84,38
LT 3O
SI 4,69
SI
R
2
SI
L
3
TalIe 4. NunericaI resuIls of laIance of lvo-sided assenlIy Iine slruclure

6. ConcIusion

SingIe and lvo-sided assenlIy Iines lecone nore popuIar in Iasl line. Therefore il is
olvious lo consider lhese slruclures using differenl nelhods. In lhis chapler a heurislic
approach vas discussed. SingIe assenlIy Iine laIancing prolIen has very oflen difficuIlies
vilh lhe Iasl slalion. Lven oplinaI soIulion ( 1OO efficiency of vorkslalions excepl lhe Iasl
one is inpossilIe lo accepl ly produclion engineers in lhe conpanies. Differenl heurislic
nelhods aIIov lo ollain differenl feasilIe soIulions and lhen lo choose lhe nosl appropriale
resuIl. Tvo-sided assenlIy Iine slruclure is very sensilive lo changes of cycIe line vaIues. Il
is possilIe very oflen lo gel inconpIele slruclure of lhe lvo-sided assenlIy Iine (sone
slalions are nissing) in finaI resuIl. We can use differenl neasures for conparing lhe
soIulions (Iine line, Iine efficiency, snoolhness index). Aulhor proposes addilionaIIy lvo
neasures: snoolhness index of lhe Iefl side (SI
L
) and snoolhness index of lhe righl side (SI
R
)
of lhe lvo-sided assenlIy Iine slruclure. These neasurenenls aIIov lo gel nore knovIedge
aloul aIIocalion of lhe lasks and aloul lhe laIance on lolh sides.

7. References

arlhoIdi, }.}. (1993). aIancing lvo-sided assenlIy Iines: A case sludy, |n|crna|icna| ]curna|
cf Prcuc|icn Rcscarcn, VoI. 31, No,1O, pp. 2447-2461
aylars, I. (1986). A survey of exacl aIgorilhns for sinpIe assenlIy Iine laIancing prolIen,
Managcmcn| Scicncc, VoI. 32, No. 8, pp. 9O9-932
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AUTOMATON & CONTROL - Theory and Practice 12

LreI, L., Sarin S.C. (1998). A survey of lhe assenlIy Iine laIancing procedures, Prcuc|icn
P|anning an Ccn|rc|, VoI. 9, No. 5, pp. 414-434
Ionseca D.}., Cuesl C.L., LIan M., Karr C.L. (2OO5). A fuzzy Iogic approach lo assenlIy Iine
laIancing, Ma|nuarc c Scf| Ccmpu|ing, VoI. 12, pp. 57-74
Crzechca W. (2OO8) Tvo-sided assenlIy Iine. Lslinalion of finaI resuIls. Prccccings cf |nc
|if|n |n|crna|icna| Ccnfcrcncc cn |nfcrma|ics in Ccn|rc|, Au|cma|icn an Rc|c|ics
|C|NCO 2008, |ina| |cc| cf A|s|rac|s an Prccccings, IunchaI, 11-15 May 2OO8, pp.
87-88, CD Version ISN: 978-989-8111-35-7
Culjahr, A.L., Neunhauser C.L. (1964). An aIgorilhn for lhe laIancing prolIen,
Managcmcn| Scicncc, VoI. 11,No. 2, pp. 3O8-315
HeIgeson W. ., irnie D. I. (1961). AssenlIy Iine laIancing using lhe ranked posilionaI
veighling lechnique, ]curna| cf |nus|ria| |nginccring, VoI. 12, pp. 394-398
Kao, L.I.C. (1976). A preference order dynanic progran for slochaslic assenlIy Iine
laIancing, Managcmcn| Scicncc, VoI. 22, No. 1O, pp. 1O97-11O4
Lee, T.O., Kin Y., Kin Y.K. (2OO1). Tvo-sided assenlIy Iine laIancing lo naxinize vork
reIaledness and sIackness, Ccmpu|crs c |nus|ria| |nginccring, VoI. 4O, No. 3, pp.
273-292
SaIveson, M.L. (1955). The assenlIy Iine laIancing prolIen, ]curna| cf |nus|ria| |nginccring,
VoI.6, No. 3. pp. 18-25
SchoII, A. (1999). 8a|ancing an scqucncing cf asscm||q |inc, Ihysica- VerIag, ISN
978379O8118O3, HeideIlerg Nev-York
Sury, R.}. (1971). Aspecls of assenlIy Iine laIancing, |n|crna|icna| ]curna| cf Prcuc|icn
Rcscarcn, VoI. 9, pp. 8-14

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Automation Control - Theory and Practice
Edited by A D Rodi
ISBN 978-953-307-039-1
Hard cover, 350 pages
Publisher InTech
Published online 01, December, 2009
Published in print edition December, 2009
InTech Europe
University Campus STeP Ri
InTech China
Unit 405, Office Block, Hotel Equatorial Shanghai
The present edited book is a collection of 18 chapters written by internationally recognized experts and well-
known professionals of the field. Chapters contribute to diverse facets of automation and control. The volume
is organized in four parts according to the main subjects, regarding the recent advances in this field of
engineering. The first thematic part of the book is devoted to automation. This includes solving of assembly
line balancing problem and design of software architecture for cognitive assembling in production systems.
The second part of the book concerns different aspects of modelling and control. This includes a study on
modelling pollutant emission of diesel engine, development of a PLC program obtained from DEVS model,
control networks for digital home, automatic control of temperature and flow in heat exchanger, and non-linear
analysis and design of phase locked loops. The third part addresses issues of parameter estimation and filter
design, including methods for parameters estimation, control and design of the wave digital filters. The fourth
part presents new results in the intelligent control. This includes building a neural PDF strategy for
hydroelectric satation simulator, intelligent network system for process control, neural generalized predictive
control for industrial processes, intelligent system for forecasting, diagnosis and decision making based on
neural networks and self-organizing maps, development of a smart semantic middleware for the Internet ,
development of appropriate AI methods in fault-tollerant control, building expert system in rotary railcar
dumpers, expert system for plant asset management, and building of a image retrieval system in
heterogeneous database. The content of this thematic book admirably reflects the complementary aspects of
theory and practice which have taken place in the last years. Certainly, the content of this book will serve as a
valuable overview of theoretical and practical methods in control and automation to those who deal with
engineering and research in this field of activities.
How to reference
In order to correctly reference this scholarly work, feel free to copy and paste the following:
Waldemar Grzechca (2009). Assembly Line Balancing Problem Single and Two-Sided Structures, Automation
Control - Theory and Practice, A D Rodi (Ed.), ISBN: 978-953-307-039-1, InTech, Available from:
http://www.intechopen.com/books/automation-control-theory-and-practice/assembly-line-balancing-problem-
single-and-two-sided-structures
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