2011 International Conference on Business Computing and Global Informatization

Excel-Based Simulation on Problems of Two-Stage Assembly Line Queuing

Qiao xianxia Tu Chuanqing* College of Computer and Information Engineering Jiangxi Agricultural University Nanchang E_main: Qiao Xianxia@163.com Abstract: It is difficult to design mathematic models for the problems of assembly line queuing in the workshop, and simulation is Jiangxi China chuanqingtu@yahoo.com.cn problems of two-stage assembly line queuing. 1 Problems of Two-Stage Assembly Line Queuing Figure 1 represents two workstations on an assembly line in which A is operating

usually made in the computer. But it requires that the researchers have high level of computer proficiency to build up a simulation model with a computer language. Taking Excel as a tool, we have established a simulation model for the problems of two-stage assembly line queuing. With this model, we can not only easily examine the production efficiency of this assembly line, but also examine whether enlarging the space between the two workstations could impose some influences upon the productivity of assembly lines and the waiting time. Keywords: assembly line; queuing problems; simulation model 0 Preface It is often impossible to construct a mathematic model because the problems of assembly line queuing occur continuously and in parallel. However, it is often no problem to simulate these queuing problems. Presently, there are plenty of literatures related to simulation on problems of two-stage assembly line queuing. But it requires that the researchers have high level of computer proficiency to build up a simulation model with the computer language, which, to some extent, hinders the application and popularity of such a model. In this paper, taking Excel as a tool, we introduce a method of setting up a simulation model on

Workstation 1 and B Workstation 2 respectively. The products finished by A at Workstation 1 will be passed to Workstations 2 at which B

continues to process. The volume of products is an important factor for consideration in the design and analysis of such an assembly line, because the product storage of each workstation will have effects on the workers efficiency. On the assembly line in Figure 1, suppose that the two workstations are connected and that there is no place for the semi-finished products, two possible cases will take place as follows: If A works more slowly than B, B is forced to wait; but if A is faster than B on the contrary, then A has to wait. In the simulation of this problem, suppose A is the first worker on the assembly line, then he can work on the semi-finished products at any time. Therefore, we focus our analysis on the mutual influences between A and B.

Figure 1 Two Workstations on an Assembly Line

*Tu Chuanqing (1968~), Corresponding author, Associate professor, doctor.

978-0-7695-4464-9/11 $26.00 2011 IEEE DOI 10.1109/BCGIn.2011.130 492

1.1 Research Targets About the assembly line, we hope that this research will help solve the following problems: i) how much is the average time for each worker to complete the work? ii) what is the productivity of this assembly line? iii) how long will A wait for B? iv) how long will B wait for A? v) how will it affect the productivity, the waiting time and other factors that the space between the two workstations are enlarged to deposit semi-products and that workers independence is increased subsequently? 1.2 Data Collection For a systematic simulation, we need the data about As and Bs processing time. To collect the data, a feasible method is to divide the total processing time into short periods, in each of which each worker is observed individually. In this example, we divide the processing time, 10 seconds a period. A is observed at work 100 times, but B only 50 times. The times for the observation of the two at work are different. We know that the more times for the observation and the smaller division of the time intervals, the more accurate the research result. We make a table about the processing time as shown in Table 1 below. Table 1 The Data of Observation on the Two Workers

the actual observation. For example, four out of one hundred times A has completed his operations within 10 seconds. If one hundred numbers are allocated, we should allocate four of them to those operations completed within 10 seconds. These four numbers can be random, such as 42, 18, 12 and 93, which though will make our search very complicated. For a convenient search, we allocate them with such consecutive numbers as 00, 01, 02, 03. For the fifty observed data of B, we can use two methods to allocate the random numbers. In the first method, we use fifty numbers like 00 to 49 for distribution and omit in the simulation all those numbers larger than 49. However, this is a great waste that we will discard half of the numbers in the random sequence. In the second method, we duplicate the frequency number. For example, we distribute 00 through 07 to eight out of one hundred observed data whose processing time is within 10 seconds instead of distributing 00 through 03 to four out of fifty times whose processing time is within 10 seconds. In this way, the times for observation are doubled while the ratio remains the same. Table 2 The Random Intervals of A and B

2 Simulation Model on Two-Stage Assembly Problems 2.1 Manual Simulation Table 3 shows the results of manual simulation of A and B processing 10 products. The random numbers come from the Table of Random Numbers, from the first column of In Table 2, we show the random intervals distributed by the ratio of the data collected from double-digit, downwards. the numbers are selected

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If we count the time from zero and measure it by the second, the first random number 56 is corresponding to 50 seconds in which A completes the first processing task. Then this taskpiece is transmitted to B who starts at 50 seconds. The next random number is 83, and according to Table 2, it takes B 70 seconds to complete the taskpiece. Simultaneously, A is processing a second taskpiece, starting from at 50 seconds and ending at 100 seconds (the corresponding random number is 55). However, A cannot start processing a third taskpiece immediately afterwards as B completes the first taskpiece at the 120 second. Consequently, A has to wait 20 seconds before processing a fourth one. With the same method of counting above, we can calculate the rest data in the table: with a random number and the corresponding processing time, we can figure out the waiting time and the completing time. Then we can find that the waiting time for both A and B is very long because there is no storage place between the two workstations. Table 3: A and BSimulation of Two-Stage Assembly Line
th

Although we have explained how to build a simple manual simulation on this problem, the sample of 10 drawings is too small to warrant the result reliability. A more reliable result could be attained only through thousands of repeated calculations on the computer. 2.2 Simulated by Excel Figure 2 shows the partial results of the simulation by Excel on the two-stage assembly lines, which is in the same format as that of the manual simulation in Table 2. This time, we have used Excel to simulate 1, 000 times, namely we suppose that A and B have processed 1,000 workpieces in total. Its specific operating procedure is as follows: Step one, generating random numbers by the function RANDBETWEEN () A fundamental step for any method of simulation is to generate random variables related to the distribution function. In this example, the distribution function is about the time for A and B to complete each taskpiece. The function RANDBETWEEN () can generate a random number for any pair of specified values. What we need now is to generate the random numbers between 0 through 99, which can be attained by the function RANDBETWEEN (). In Table 4, the 2nd and 7th columns are random series generated by =RANDBETWEEN(0,99), representing the random numbers corresponding to the time for A and B to complete each taskpiece. Step two, establishing the relation between

Now, we can answer some questions and make some comments on the system. For example, The average processing time of each workpiece: 610/10=61 second; The average processing time of worker A: 470/10=47 second; The average processing time of worker B: 440/10=44 second; The utilization of worker A: 470/540=87%; The utilization of worker B: 440/560=78.6% (the initial 50 seconds for waiting is removed)

the random numbers and the processing time by the function VLOOKUP According to the distribution rules of random numbers specified in Table 2 above, we can establish the relation between the processing time and the random number by the function VLOOKUP. The method is to input 0 ~ 99 sequentially in the cell A3~A102, and then according to the distribution rule of random numbers to input in the cells B3~B102 and C3~C102 separately the corresponding time for

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A and B to complete their processing work.

fluctuant and then tends to be stable slowly.

Figure 2 A and Bthe Simulation of Two-Stage Assembly Lines by Excel Table 4 Excel Cell Formula in Figure 2

Figure 3 Average Processing Time for Each Workpiece Figure 4 shows the average stay time in the system, which includes the processing time and the waiting time for each taskpiece. For example taskpiece in Figure 2 the stay time for the first is 90 seconds in the system, which is

the sum of the cells G3, I4 and L3. And the stay time for the 2nd taskpiece is 120 seconds the The analysis simulation tool, its technology dynamic being an sum of the cells G4, I4 and L4. And by analogy, we can attain the stay time for the 1, 000th taskpiece in the system. At the start-up stage, we can see in the curve trend of gradual increase, because the system is started up from the idle state when there is no interval in the process of transferring the taskpieces from A to B. However, as the 2nd taskpiece enters the system, there is possibly a wait between two procedures because of the inconsistent speed of A and B and of no storage place between the the two workstations, which forces taskpieces characteristics

determine its advantages in quantitative analyses. But an analytical method is different, which indicates the average result of the long-term operation of a system. As is shown in Figures 3 and 4, we can find a visible start-up. Figure 3 exhibits the average time for A and B to complete 100 processing taskpieces. These data are accumulative, i.e., the first datum is generated randomly corresponding to the completing time for the first taskpiece. The average completing time for two taskpieces is the average value of the time to complete the first taskpiece plus that to complete the second one. By analogy, the average completing time for three taskpieces is the average value of the time to complete the first one plus those for the second and the third ones respectively, and so forth. Note that the curve can be in different shapes rather than exactly what is shown in the figures below because the initial part of the curve is determined by the flow of the generated random numbers. What we are sure of is that within a short period of time after the start-up of the system, the average processing time is

entering afterwards to delay. As the time goes by, the taskpieces transmission will tend towards stability unless the working capacity in the 2nd procedure is weaker than that in the 1st one.

Figure 4 Average Stay Time of Products in the System According to the simulation data in Figure 2, we can also produce some indices to

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investigate the system efficiency as is shown in Table 5 below:

the second, third, and so on, storage spaces. With these data generated, decision makers can calculate the cost increased to build more storage spaces and the benefits brought about by the improved storage productivity, spaces and then make a comparison of the cost and the benefits. More between two workstations probably means a larger workshop, more

Comparatively, the result of the manual simulation of 10 taskpieces is not too bad. The average working time for A and B is 46.13 and 46.31 seconds respectively, which is very close to the expected average value from the long-term operations. The expected working time for A is 104+206+3010+ /50=46.4 seconds. 3 Research on the Storage Space Between Two Workstations A research on the storage space between of two workstations is also very significant. We can solve this problem by comparing the data of productivity and utility in different storage places. In the previous sections, we have built up a simulation on the situation where there is no storage space between two workstations. In a second simulation, we create a storage space and record some possible changes about the related data. And then we set up other simulations on /100=45.9 seconds, and that for B is 10 4+20 5+30 6+

materials and taskpieces in the system, more material handling equipment, transmission equipment, and more use of heat and electricity, as well as more maintenance of the workshop, etc. References [1] Richard [M].Beijing: 2003. [2]Hu Yunquan. Operations Research Tutorial 2nd edition [3]Zhou Dehui Application [M]. Beijing: Tsinghua Zuo Qi on Excel Li Changwen, in Modern University Press, 2003. B. Chase, etc. Operations Press, Management for Competitive Advantage Machinery Industry

Management [M]. Beijing Publishing House of Electronics Industry 1997. [4]Chen Xuesong, Fang Rengcun, Cao Ju, Research on Statistics Calculation of Simulation Queuing System [J]. Computer Simulation, 2003, (7).

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