Factors affecting performance of period batch control systems incellular manufacturing

This paper critically evaluates the design and operation of period batch control (PBC), a manufacturing planning and control (MPC) system recommended for cellular manufacturing (CM). A comprehensive conceptual analysis of PBC identifies important system attributes and leads to the proposal and testing of key PBC characteristics. Tests are conducted in a simulated CM flow shop based on an actual operating facility. Results show that maximum cell make-span, the easily observable highest make-span of jobs assigned to any cell for a period, is a key predictor of PBC performance. Results also show that demand variability, extent of unbalanced capacity between cells, and transfer batch size further influence performance. In particular, mean tardiness is found to increase as maximum cell make-span exceeds the period size and as the size of transfer batches increase. Both demand variability and cell capacity imbalance, particularly when the capacity constraint is later in the product flow, further reduce performa...