Discrete events in a continuous System. How to model influence factors on capacity in a complex assembly line environment.

Abstract

This study examines the influences of lot prioritisation, scheduling and line balancing on the productivity of a laser assembly line using a System Dynamics model. The handling of single production lots was implemented successfully into the simulation model and it could be shown that no hybrid approach is needed for combining System Dynamics and Discrete Event Simulation. Robust policies for prioritisation and scheduling were found; they depend upon local feedback policies as the composition of the product mix is not constant. For the same reason the application of line balancing methods was found to be challenging. The insights gained by this study were mostly qualitative and thus good practice for a System Dynamics project.