The optimization of capacity utilization with a fuzzy decision support model

The assembly of cars is a production process, whose regulation must respond to the disturbances and fluctuations that often arise in such processes. Assembly is carried out at stations connected in series, where specialized teams of workers are employed. Depending on the model variant, each model that passes an assembly area creates a different workload. The order of transport of models into the assembly area is very important for the degree of utilization of capacity at each assembly station. The problem is to fix the order in such a way that the utilization of capacity is as constant as possible and as near to 100 % as possible, in order to guarantee low-cost assembly for the given long-term production plans. This paper presents an industrial application of a fuzzy decision support model for the supervision of capacity optimization in the car assembly process.