Analysis and improvement of multi-product assembly systems: an application study at a furniture manufacturing plant

In this paper, we introduce an application study of modelling, analysis and continuous improvement of an assembly system at a furniture manufacturing plant using production systems engineering methods. Analytical models have been developed to characterise the assembly system making multiple products, and recursive procedures have been derived to evaluate line production rate. Lot size analysis is carried out, and bottleneck analysis methods are introduced to identify the bottlenecks, whose improvement can lead to the largest improvement in system performance. Such methods provide a quantitative tool for plant engineers and managers to operate and improve assembly line with high productivity, and are also applicable to other large-volume manufacturing systems.