Axiomatic design of hybrid manufacturing systems in erratic demand conditions

In order to respond to part demands on time in an erratic demand environment, a complete road map for the design of hybrid cellular manufacturing systems (HMS) is proposed in this study, based on axiomatic design (AD) principles, such that all functional requirements of a complete HMS design are satisfied by the corresponding design parameters. With this methodology, first, a preliminary HMS is formed including exceptional operations. To facilitate one-piece flow within the cells of the HMS, these exceptions are eliminated by the proposed decision rules, where alternative machines are employed (Satoglu et al. 2010). Then, the sufficiency of current resource capacities is verified, using a simulation technique. In other words, stock accumulations are identified and then value stream through the system without any obstacles is ensured. These are achieved by means of procedures for identifying and eliminating the bottleneck resources. The proposed methodology is completed with the HMS layout design. This complete methodology based on AD principles is a unique aspect of this study. The methodology is applied on the data of an automotive supplier, and the results are discussed. Finally, using simulation models, it is shown that applying the proposed model results in a statistically significant improvement in lead time of the current available system.