An interactive tool for designing manufacturing cells for an assembly job-shop

Cellular manufacturing is often implemented to reduce work in progress, materials handling, set-ups and storage space, as well as to improve quality and worker satisfaction. Wemmerlov and Johnson (1997) have pointed out that cellular configurations do not automatically deliver these advantages. An interactive tool is presented to design manufacturing cells for an assembly shop. The method is based on an analysis of operation sequences and durations and it allows the design of hybrid layouts. We show that a cellular configuration is not always desirable and discuss the conditions where this is so.