Application of Bucket Brigades in Assembly Cells for Self Work Balancing

자율적인 밸런싱을 실현하는 Bucket Brigade 기반의 조립셀 운영방식

  • Koo, Pyung-Hoi (Department of Systems and Management Engineering, Pukyong National University)
  • 구평회 (부경대학교 시스템경영공학과)
  • Received : 2009.02.20
  • Accepted : 2009.04.29
  • Published : 2009.06.01

Abstract

Assembly line has been recognized as an efficient production system in mass production. However, the recent production environment characterized as mass customization urges production managers to transform a long assembly line to a number of short assembly cells. To maximize the utilization of resources in an assembly cell, it is important to have the line balanced. This paper presents a bucket brigade-based assembly cell. Bucket brigade is a way of coordinating workers who progressively perform a set of assembly operations on a flow line. Each worker follows a simple rule: perform assembly operations on a product until the next worker downstream takes it over; then go back to the previous worker upstream to take over a new assembly job. In this way, the line balances itself. The bucket brigade assembly cell is analyzed and compared with traditional assembly lines and general assembly cells. The paper also discusses some prerequisite requirements and limitations when the bucket brigade assembly cells are employed.

Keywords

References

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