Integrated Manufacturing Systems: Volume 10 Issue 5

Genetic algorithm approach in PCB assembly

Nan‐Shing Ong, Li Pheng Khoo

A printed circuit board (PCB) assembly consists of a circuit board and a variety of components in different shapes and sizes placed at specific locations on the board. They are…

Managing the job shop: simulating the effects of flexibility, order release mechanisms and sequencing rules

W. Rocky Newman, Mary Jo Maffei

Examines the relative effects of alternative approaches to dealing with the intractable problem of managing a job shop. The effect of routing flexibility, simple order release…

Simulation‐aided design of production and assembly cells in an automotive company

Felix T.S. Chan, Bing Jiang

Manufacturing systems design is a complex task and is crucial to the future of a company. Computer simulation provides an efficient and visual method for system designers. The…

Maximum conformance rate‐based tolerance design

Chiu‐Chi Wei, Yeong‐Hoang Lee, Ching‐Liang Chang

Proposes a new formulation for allocating process tolerances. The major contribution of the model is to assign tolerances with maximization of the conformance rate of the entire…

A comparative study of six stage‐gate approaches to product development

Rachel Phillips, Kevin Neailey, Trevor Broughton

Some companies to aid the product development process have implemented a stage‐gate framework, as a high‐level representation of the activities required. Such a framework allows…

The implementation of a model for integration of MRP II and TQM

Chi Keung Donald Chan, K.L. Yung, W.H. Ip

A way of initiating and sustaining the implementation of total quality management (TQM) by exploiting the widely adopted manufacturing resource planning (MRP II) is presented. A…

A simulation study of WIP inventory drive systems and their effect on financial measurements

Lloyd J. Taylor

This simulation study explores and compares the potential benefits of three work‐in‐process (WIP) inventory drive systems and their associated inventory buffer characteristics…