On October 23, Tobias Mönch (The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, USA) and Arnd Huchzermeier (WHU - Otto Beisheim School of Management) presented the talk “Variable Tact Times for Mixed-model Assembly with Random Customization” at the 2019 INFORMS Annual Meeting in Seattle, Washington, USA.
Abstract: In case of a fixed tact system, raising the number of products to be assembled on a single line results in increased idle time as well as utility work and often requires an expansion of the line. To the contrary, a variable tact time approach is able to eliminate such line inefficiencies altogether, and diminishes the computational effort associated with line balancing and sequencing. We present a benchmark study of a global manufacturer of agricultural machinery where models differ greatly in assembly times and each product is uniquely customized.