DESIGN OF CELLULAR MANUFACTURING SYSTEMS - AN INDUSTRIAL CASE-STUDY

This paper discusses the development of a cellular manufacturing system in a manufacturing company. A new clustering algorithm has been applied to the design of the system. The algorithm consists of two parts, a cluster-seeking process and the minimization of bottleneck machines. Two parameters are input by the user: (a) the desired number of machine cells or part families, and (b) the minimum number of parts within each cell or part family. A number of cells have been designed for a preparation shop, a fabrication shop, and a machine shop. Both the advantages and disadvantages of the algorithm have been analyzed, especially concerning its applications to industry.