A mathematical programming method for flow path design in high-mix and low-volume flow manufacturing

For the operation and control of flow manufacturing in a high-mix and low-volume production environment, a method of flow path management is introduced. It involves the dynamic formation and control of adaptable flow paths corresponding to different product families. A mathematical programming approach is presented for the design of flow paths, which takes into consideration the sharing of machines among various product families. The objective is to maximize the throughput in a predefined planning period and to minimize the number of shared machines. An illustrative example is given for demonstrating the use of the proposed method.