Line balancing and inventory control techniques for the lean production:
measurements and optimisation of the production system. Study and application
to a manufacturing company

Stefano Saetta, Andrea Martini, Lorenzo Tiacci

Dipartimento di Ingegneria Industriale
Università degli Studi di Perugia - Italy


Keywords: Assembly Line Balancing; Lean Production;
Layout Optimisation; Genetic Algorithms.

Abstract

Lean production techniques are very useful in many
industrial applications as a mean to improve plant
performances. The basic concept of lean production is to
use an empirical approach to remove any kind of waste.
Because of this empirical component, lean production
procedures does not require a complex modelling of the
system or complex algorithms to be implemented, but
include pragmatic and systematic 'trial and error' methods
to improve step by step the current system configuration.
Nevertheless there are some problems where the use of
properly developed and flexible algorithms can
effectively support and quicken this trial procedure.
In this paper a lean production oriented company was
considered, and a case study of dimensioning a new
assembly line of that company is shown. Problems
considered concern the Line Balancing and the Inventory
Control. For the Line Balancing in particular, we
developed a genetic algorithm, which quickly find
effective and suitable solutions.