Intelligent production control decision support system for flexible assembly lines

In this study, a production control problem on a flexible assembly line (FAL) with flexible operation assignment and variable operative efficiencies is investigated. A mathematical model of the production control problem is formulated with the consideration of the time-constant learning curve to deal with the change of operative efficiency in real-life production. An intelligent production control decision support (PCDS) system is developed, which is composed of a radio frequency identification technology-based data capture system, a PCDS model comprising a bi-level genetic optimization process and a heuristic operation routing rule is developed. Experimental results demonstrated that the proposed PCDS system could implement effective production control decision-making for solving the FAL. (c) 2008 Published by Elsevier Ltd.