Analysis of cellular manufacturing systems

In this paper, we present an open queuing network modeling approach to estimate performance measures of a cellular manufacturing layout. It is assumed a layout and production data for a planning period of specified length are available. The production data takes into account, processing and handling set-up times as well as transfer and process batch size information of multiple products that flow through the system. It is assumed that two sets of discrete material handling devices are used for material transfer. The first set, of which there is a copy in each cell, is used for intra-cell transfer and the second for inter-cell transfer. Experimental results are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach.