Sequence evaluation and personnel planning with HoME

HoME (holistic matrix evaluation) is a software tool for decision support and resource planning for assembly line sequencing and balancing. HoME is based on new method in visualization, where know how from experts can be integrated either by experts themselves or in fuzzy logic applications. Thereby the planner is relieved from routine work. HoME makes use of a discrete event simulation model, which feeds back the actual workload of each resource at each instant. With this visualization tool, resource planning can be performed by assessing the economical effect of group work. We evaluate the benefits by introducing HoME in an industrial environment. Additional costs due to the need for unfinished working cycles as well as worker idle times and the total personnel demand are reduced.