Efficient material allocations in high-mix low-volume manufacturing

Abstract

Today's globalization market drives industries toward increased expectations on lean production and quick response to the customers. These expectations have put industries under pressure to become more agile under highly dynamic market and uncertain manufacturing environment. An efficient material allocation becomes critical due to dynamics and uncertainty in the manufacturing systems. This research addresses the optimization needs for effective material allocations in high-mix low-volume manufacturing. Multi-constraint based genetic algorithm and intelligent simulation are used for efficient material allocation. The proposed effective material allocation is validated through real-world application in electronics manufacturing. © 2010 World Scientific Publishing Company.