A Sub-Optimal Control Policy in a Two-Product Door Manufacturing Line With Geometric Reliability Machines

Multiproduct systems are becoming more and more prevalent in modern manufacturing. In this paper, we introduce an application study of optimal control policy in a two-product door manufacturing line at an automotive assembly plant. In such a system, two types of doors for sedans and SUVs are produced and supplied to the sedan and SUV body shops, respectively. There is a nonnegligible setup time when the door type is changed. To study this system, a geometric machine reliability model is developed. Closed-form expressions of performance measures are derived and a sub-optimal control policy is presented to schedule product changeover so that maximal satisfaction to demands of both doors can be achieved. Finally, the results are validated in door production.