Assembly line balancing is a very important issue in mass production systems due to production cost. Although many studies have been done on this topic, but because assembly line balancing problems are so complex they are categorized as NP-hard problems and researchers strongly recommend using heuristic methods. This paper presents a new heuristic approach called the critical task method (CTM) ...

This paper deals with the use of fuzzy set theory as a viable alternative method for modelling and solving the stochastic assembly line balancing problem. Variability and uncertainty in the assembly line balancing problem has traditionally been modelled through the use of statistical distributions. This may not be feasible in cases where no historical data exists. Fuzzy set theory allows for th...

Assembly lines are special flow-lines production systems which are typical in the industrial production of high quantity standardized commodities. Assembly line balancing is based on evenly distribution of operations between workstations so that each idle time of the machines was minimal. It is assumed that operation times on the machines and the precedence relationship existing between the ope...

Mixed-model assembly lines allow for the simultaneous assembly of a set of similar models of a product, which may be launched in the assembly line in any order and mix. As current markets are characterized by a growing trend for higher product variability, mixed-model assembly lines are preferred over the traditional single-model assembly lines. This paper presents a mathematical programming mo...

With the growth in customers’ demand diversification, mixed-model U-lines (MMUL) have acquired increasing importance in the area of assembly systems. There are generally two different approaches in the literature for balancing such systems. Some researchers believe that since the types of models can be very diverse, a balancing approach without simultaneously sequencing of models will not yield...