A decision tool for assembly line breakdown action

Assembly lines with closed loop parallel lanes have the potential to continue to be productive when individual stations breakdown. A requirement in such parallel lane systems is that the products must exit the parallel lanes in the same sequence as they entered. Such lines offer the opportunity to run the line partially either by shutting down an affected lane or by bypassing the failed station to continue to run on all lanes. Bypassing a station, however, requires a backup station that can pick up the incomplete work at a later stage in the process. However, when a station breakdown occurs, it is not readily obvious as to whether to bypass the affected lane or just the affected station. This decision will vary depending on which station failed and the length of the repair. This paper presents a discrete-event modeling approach to provide a decision-making tool during breakdowns.