CHAPTER 8Line balancing
Balancing an assembly line isfeasible because unlike othermanufacturing operations, assembly tasks can be broken down into arbitrarily small increments. These smaller tasks can then be moved between stations, until the work loads of all assemblers are within + 5% of their average and are all close the line’s takttime. ‘Within dedicated lines, rebalancing is routinely undertaken to improveproductivity orto respond to changes in demand. Depending on the si^e and complexity of the line, it may be doable in afew minutes by directobservation, oritmay be aprojectinvolving a team of engineers for several monthsjust to do the required analysis.
In lines used to assemble multiple products, the problem is handled differently, ...
