Manufacturing Line Design Configuration with Optimized Resource Groups

This research aims to develop methods to quickly build new manufacturing lines in response to changes in product varieties and manufacturing fluctuations in a factory. We propose a meta-heuristic algorithm for solving large-scale optimizations of the line design process, which includes resource configuration, process design, control design, and line configuration. The proposed framework improves the automation and system-level interactions of the line design process as compared to conventional methods that manually solve each step in the process design problem individually using skilled line engineers with previous experience. This research introduces the concept of a resource group or module that consists of various manufacturing resources such as robots, tools, autonomous guided vehicles, and conveyors. The line design process is then reconfigured for module or group configuration. To demonstrate the proposed framework, a case study is conducted in which the proposed framework is applied to the line design of an assembly manufacturing facility with production costs and manufacturing lead times selected as the key performance indicators of interest. Results indicate improved line costs and manufacturing lead times concurrently.