Article
Operations Research & Management Science
Tom McNamara, Sabry Shaaban, Abdelkader Sbihi, Zouhair Laarraf
Summary: Research on unbalanced assembly lines has become increasingly important due to its applications in emerging economies, reverse logistics, and remanufacturing. This study found that imbalance does not necessarily lead to lower efficiency and can even improve performance compared to balanced lines in certain cases. The best performance was observed in a balanced line configuration and a monotone decreasing order for parallel merging lines, with the former resulting in lower throughput and the latter leading to lower average buffer levels.
RAIRO-OPERATIONS RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Industrial
Khelil Kassoul, Naoufel Cheikhrouhou, Nicolas Zufferey
Summary: This paper proposes a simulation-based optimization approach for designing unreliable production lines to maximize production rate. The method combines a Genetic Algorithm (GA) with Finite Perturbation Analysis (FPA) to simultaneously allocate service times and buffer capacities. The main focus is on investigating the persistence or absence of buffer and service rate allocation patterns.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PRODUCTION RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Multidisciplinary
Mehmet Ulas Koyuncuoglu, Leyla Demir
Summary: This study introduces an adaptive large neighborhood search (ALNS) algorithm to solve the problem of buffer allocation in production lines for maximizing throughput. The algorithm's adaptive mechanism and initialization procedure have shown significant benefits in reducing search efforts and improving performance.
ENGINEERING SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY-AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL-JESTECH
(2021)
Article
Management
F. E. Sachs, S. Helber, G. P. Kiesmueller
Summary: We consider a model of an N-stage flow line with stochastic processing times and interstage buffers. Machine downtimes caused by failures of critical components are addressed by maintaining spare parts in stock. We propose a novel decomposition approach to approximate the average throughput and inventory for systems with different numbers of machines, buffers, and spare parts. Our method demonstrates remarkable accuracy and allows for studying the interaction and substitution effects between buffer sizes and spare part base-stock levels on the logistical performance of the flow line.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF OPERATIONAL RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Automation & Control Systems
Maria Chiara Magnanini, Walter Terkaj, Tullio A. M. Tolio
Summary: This study proposes a new algorithm for the buffer allocation problem, which integrates performance evaluation and optimization based on linear approximation. The numerical results show the effectiveness of the proposed method compared to traditional methods. Additionally, an industrial case study incorporating the proposed method into a decision-support system for buffer allocation and reallocation is analyzed.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ADVANCED MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Automation & Control Systems
Yasmine Alaouchiche, Yassine Ouazene, Farouk Yalaoui
Summary: The paper introduces the first variant of energy-efficient buffer allocation problem (EE-BAP) and proposes a novel integrated analytical method to find the best buffer allocation that optimizes both throughput and energy consumption. Experimental study shows considerable energy savings with low or almost no productivity loss are allowed, paving the way for new research perspectives in sustainable manufacturing systems design.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ADVANCED MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Industrial
Khelil Kassoul, Naoufel Cheikhrouhou, Nicolas Zufferey
Summary: This paper proposes a new hybrid optimization approach combining genetic algorithm (GA) and finite perturbation analysis (FPA) to solve the buffer allocation problem in production lines. Experimental results show that the proposed method clearly outperforms state-of-the-art methods and combining FPA and GA is beneficial compared to using them independently.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PRODUCTION RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Computer Science, Information Systems
Khelil Kassoul, Naoufel Cheikhrouhou, Nicolas Zufferey
Summary: This paper proposes an adaptive simulation-optimization approach based on particle swarm optimization (PSO) to solve the buffer allocation problem in unreliable serial production lines. The objective is to maximize the production rate of the production line. The proposed method integrates a jumping strategy based on logarithmic and exponential functions into the velocity equation of the PSO algorithm using dynamic parameters to achieve quickly (near-)optimal solutions. Extensive numerical experiments are conducted using various production line configurations and benchmark algorithms for comparison purposes, and the results demonstrate that the proposed adaptive approach outperforms the benchmark algorithms in terms of efficiency and solution quality.
Article
Computer Science, Information Systems
Yasmine Alaouchiche, Yassine Ouazene, Farouk Yalaoui
Summary: The study focuses on the energy-efficient buffer allocation problem (EE-BAP) and proposes a multi-objective resolution approach using the weighted sum method, epsilon-constraint method, and elitist non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm (NSGA-II). The obtained solutions show a trade-off between maximizing production throughput and minimizing energy consumption, providing decision-making support for balancing productivity and energy economics in production line design.
Article
Operations Research & Management Science
Sabry Shaaban, Rodrigo Romero-Silva
Summary: This study explores how machine efficiency, average time to failure (MTTF), and average time to repair (MTTR) impact the performance of uneven buffer capacity allocation patterns in merging production lines. The results suggest that different buffer allocation patterns work better in shorter, less reliable lines compared to longer, more reliable ones. Increasing buffer capacity and content is found to be more cost-effective in lines with lower machine inefficiency and shorter MTTF and MTTR. Reliable lines are particularly affected by buffer capacity investment/maintenance costs, which may not result in a significant increase in throughput.
CENTRAL EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF OPERATIONS RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jianguo Duan, Haochen Li, Qinglei Zhang
Summary: By optimizing the buffer capacity allocation in production lines, it is possible to maximize the system theoretical production rate and minimize system state entropy, which improves production efficiency and reduces the level of chaos in the system.
KUWAIT JOURNAL OF SCIENCE
(2021)
Proceedings Paper
Automation & Control Systems
Lorenzo Tiacci
Summary: In this paper, two popular techniques for improving the efficiency of mixed model asynchronous assembly lines are compared: buffer allocation within work centers and optimization of model sequencing. The comparison is conducted on benchmark instances related to the Mixed-model Assembly Line Balancing Problem (MALBP). The presented approach enables simultaneous solutions for buffer allocation, sequencing optimization, and MALBP for asynchronous unpaced lines.
