A cellular manufacturing system based on new similarity coefficient which considers alternative routes during machine failure

A two-phase procedure for configuring a cellular manufacturing system is proposed. In Phase I, a new similarity coefficient which considers the number of alternative routes when available during machine failure is proposed. The objective of Phase I is to identify part families based on the proposed new similarity coefficient. In Phase II, a new methodology which simultaneously considers scheduling and operational aspects in the cell design during machine failure for a manufacturing environment is proposed. Phase II shows how the scheduling and operational aspects influence the resource utilization during machine failure. The objective of the proposed methodology is to minimize the total sum of inventory holding cost, early/late finish penalty cost for each part in a given period, operating cost and machine investment cost by grouping machines into cells.