Assembly Line Job Sequencing Principles

Assembly line job sequencing establishes the order in which jobs are processed by an assembly line. This research focuses on job sequencing methods for assembly lines with work stations that receive the same fixed job sequence, are coupled together so that there is no work-in-process storage, and are balanced so that jobs move continuously between them at a constant rate. Automobile assembly lines frequently have these characteristics. Simple analytical principles are derived that aid in evaluating trade-offs between different job sequencing objectives. Included are set-up cost objectives related to operations performed on every job but in different choices (e.g. automobile painting) and capacity utilization objectives related to operations not performed on every job (e.g. installing vinyl roofs). These principles provide the basis for a job sequencing method that can be applied either by hand or with the help of a simple sorting routine.