A Hierarchy Planning Model forTFT-LCD Production Chain

Due to the progress of high technology, TFT-LCD (Thin Film Transistor – Liquid Crystal Display) has been widely put in use recently. The manufacturing technology of the TFT-LCD industry mainly consists of array, cell, module processes, in which there exists special characteristics such as different objectives of individual process’s scheduling, complexity of manufacturing processes, and multi-site production, etc. It is important to synchronize to meet customers’ demand effectively and to interactively plan between up-stream and down-stream in the TFT-LCD production chain. This research proposes a analytic framework for TFT-LCD Production Chain planning and scheduling which is verified by a practical example of a TFT-LCD company in Taiwan. First, it discusses the production chain structure of the company and its current (as-is) planning model. And then, it constructs the planning models from three stages which are production strategy, planning process, and planning algorithm, where a future (to-be) planning model is developed and named as ATO (assemble-to-order) production strategy, ATO planning process and CBS (constraint-based simulation) algorithm. The model includes order management, mid-term sales and operations planning (or master production chain planning), and short-term master scheduling. Moreover, this paper also discusses how to effectively allocate critical resources, such as key materials and limited capacity between both supply and demand sides.