Productivity Improvement Through Line Balancing at Electronic Company – Case Study

XY Electronics, a leading international company in electronic components manufacturing, is confronting significant production constraints that adversely affect output, lead times, and operational expenses. This study examines the manufacturing line for product A using Value Stream Mapping to analyze process times and identify bottlenecks where takt times are exceeded. It focuses on areas surpassing production cycle times and aims to enhance line utilization through better line balancing and waste reduction. The results reveal that the header assembly, along with coplanarity and pre-testing 3, are major bottlenecks, which significantly impact productivity. By optimizing task allocation, refining workforce distribution, and employing cross-training, the production line efficiency improved significantly. In addition, strategic workforce reallocation and station optimization were crucial in addressing resource underutilization and enhancing overall operational efficiency

Line balancing using the Takt Time method is recognized as a modern tool forassisting businesses in reducing costs and increasing profits. It is possible for the enterpriseto smoothly produce the most optimal number of products by rational calculation andresource arrangement. This paper presents a case study on the application of line balancingby the Takt Time method in a steel factory in Vietnam. The methods selected for the studyinclude describing the current situation of the factory, applying Lean Manufacturingimprovement tools, applying modern equipment technology, and rearranging factoryresources, finally calculating Line Balancing metrics and implementing them in practice.According to the findings of the research, using the Takt Time line balancing methodprovides numerous benefits to the factory. The number of operators decreased by 9 people.The percentage of line balance increased by 22% from 77% to 99% and the efficiency ofline balance increased by 6% from 93% to 99%. In addition, the study also helpsVietnamese businesses have a more objective view of the application of Takt Time linebalancing in the future.

Productivity improvement has long been approached by greatly diversified techniques. More often than not, these approaches were confined to a specific theme such as statistical and process-centric optimisations, production-centric (layout, line balancing, etc.) optimisations, machine-centric optimisations or product design-centric optimisations. Each of those areas was proved to be capable of improving the productivity of the systems to some extent. However, significant productivity improvement of any system is only possible by the collective application of all the aforementioned approaches to mitigate the inefficacy of any system. In the present study, an attempt was made to improve the productivity of a production line by the collective application various productivity improvement techniques such as process-improvement, line balancing, statistical tools and machine centre modification. The quality parameters of the product were constantly monitored and weighed against every effort of productivity improvement.

An important and highly complex process in the automotive industry is the balancing of the assembly lines. Optimally distributing jobs among the lines in order to obtain the highest efficiency is mostly done manually, taking a lot of time. This paper aims to automate the process of line balancing for a real-world test case. Automotive assembly lines are highly complex, and multiple factors have to be considered while balancing the lines. All factors relevant in a case study at VDL Nedcar are considered, namely, mixed-model production, sequence-dependent setup times, variable workplaces with multiple operators and multiple assignment constraints. A Genetic Algorithm (GA) is proposed to solve the formulated balancing problem and to act as a decision support system. Results on newly proposed benchmark instances show that the solution is dependent on the relation between the takt time and processing time of jobs, as well as the setup times. In addition, results of a real-life case study show that the proposed GA is effective in balancing a real-world assembly line and that it can both increase the efficiency of the line and decrease the variance in operating time between all model variants when compared to current practice.

The pursuit of assembly line balance aims to enhance efficiency by optimizing the ratio between output and input. Achieving balance necessitates meticulous planning to ensure that machines at each workstation operate with equitable workloads. Notably, the assembly line plays a crucial role in this equilibrium. In a manufacturing company, excels in timely product delivery to customers. However, a decline in productivity is attributed to inefficient production processes. The production department operates based on takt time, aligning with customer demand requirements. Despite meeting customer demands promptly, the company usually needs to work on productivity due to fluctuating customer demands and varying process capacities. The consistent use of a capacity production leads to stable productivity and high loss of time due to efficient work hours. Driven by the background, the researcher aims to delve into workstation arrangements for efficient production processes, with the ultimate goal of minimizing wait times, analyzing work hour precision to reduce loss time, and optimizing time usage based on takt time in the production line for efficiency. The study incorporates line-balancing methods to enhance time usage effectiveness in each production line.

Line balancing is to distribute the task over the each workstation so that idle time of labor of machine can be minimized. Line balancing aims at grouping the resources or labor in an efficient and best pattern in order to obtain an optimum or proper balance of the resources and flows of the production or assembly processes. Assembly Line Balancing (ALB) is the term commonly used to refer to the decision process of assigning tasks to workstations in a sequential way to the production system. The task of elementary operations required to build raw material into a finished product.
 Line Balancing is a classic Operations Research optimization technique which has significant industrial importance in a lean system. The concept of mass production essentially involves the Line Balancing in assembly of identical or interchangeable parts or components into the final product in various stages at different workstations. With the improvement in knowledge, the refinement in the application of the line balancing procedure is also a must. Task allocation of each worker was achieved by assembly line balancing to increase an assembly efficiency and productivity. In this paper, we discuss and analysis a vehicle manufacturing unit and suggest the options to increase the productivity through an assembly line balancing with the help of Pro Balance.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to highlight the lessons learned from two kaizen events for productivity improvement in a printing company. The paper suggests how to organize lean tools to improve productivity through the use of organized kaizen events in the printing industry to meet defined targets.Design/methodology/approachThis paper is based on a field study involving participant observations. The relationships among the three specific tools, line balancing, standardized work and standardized layout that are used in a kaizen event of a printing factory, are examined.FindingsApplication of a mix of lean tools resulted in significant productivity improvements of 10-30 percent in the assembly area of the printing company. Based on the outcomes of the lean tools that are applied in various work areas, the best combinations of lean tools are identified and several key considerations are discussed.Practical implicationsThis paper shows that a combined set of lean tools such as line balancing, standardized work and standardized layout can be applied to improve productivity in the printing operations, which is identifiable with a mix of processes that are both labor intensive and equipment flexible.Originality/valueThe paper fills the literature gap on the use of specific lean tools: line balancing, standardized work and standardized layout in the printing industry. The findings from this research can be applied to other assembly systems that are similar to the printing industry.

The study presents an integrated approach that combines ant colony optimisation (AntCO) and dynamic Min-Max normalisation (DMMN), namely the DMMN-AntCO, to address the assembly line balancing problem (ALBP) in the textile industry. The primary objective is to develop a practical approach for decision-making support by minimising workstation processing time deviation from takt time (TT) and reducing operational and setup costs. AntCO generates solutions iteratively using pheromone trails, while DMMN dynamically updates objective function values, allowing unbiased solution comparisons. Experimental outcomes show that the DMMN-AntCO significantly improves workload balance through the smooth index, decreasing from 8.72 to 6.01, and lowers production costs by over 360 USD compared to traditional methods. This study has provided a robust algorithm to optimise production line balancing, reduce costs, and enhance resource utilisation. The results confirm the effectiveness of the DMMN-AntCO method, thereby strengthening the fast response and competitive advantage of companies in the textile industry.

Reynaldo Roche (C)

Enhance of OEE by hybrid analysis at the automotive semi-automatic assembly lines

In Line Balancing principles, the total workload in the assembly process is divided as evenly as possible among the workstations, without violating the sequences and relations in the assembly operations. Line balancing is important in an assembly system as it balances the line and increases the efficiency, as well as the productivity of a system. A case study was conducted in the assembly line of an electrical accessories manufacturer in Malaysia. The cycle time for each station was recorded, and the standard cycle time was estimated. The productivity, as well as the efficiency of the current assembly line, were studied. In terms of the productivity, the performance of the current systems was 500 units/worker/day, while the expected productivity was 600 units/worker/day. An assembly line setting was proposed based on the Line Balancing Method; the productivity for the proposed line increased to 671 units/worker/day, or in rough additional increase around 34%.

Work standardization and line balancing in a windmill gearbox manufacturing cell: A case study

Constituting the biggest challenge in any manufacturing company’s product delivery, operational excellence can be accomplished by obtaining the best Quality, Cost, and Delivery (QCD). The delivery parameter has been an issue for the ABC Company, an Indonesian auto part manufacturer, having automotive manufacturers as customers, since its cycle time has been found to be lower than its takt time. This could jeopardize the company’s status in that it could degrade its customer service level. Thus, the company immediately initiated a quality control circle, especially when it was revealed that its production cycle time in Core Assy Line 3 was 49 s more than its targeted 41.7 s takt time. The team was then committed to reducing it to 39.2 s, accounting for a 20% reduction. A method named 8 steps and 7 tools was deployed under the Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) approach to solve the specific problem. This method guided the team to find five root causes of the problem, while five solutions were equivalently provided. As a result, the achieved cycle time reduction was from 49 to 38.9 s, that is, a 21% decrease, capable of securing the company’s relationship with its customers and granting an order increase.

Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs) are widely used in most electronic devices. Typically, a PCB design has a set of components that needs to be assembled. In a broad sense, this assembly task involves placing PCB components at designated location on a PCB board; fixing PCB components; and testing the PCB after assembly operation to ensure that it is in proper working order. The stringent requirements of having a higher component density on PCBs, a shorter assembly time, and a more reliable product prompt manufacturers to automate the process of PCB assembly. Frequently, a few placement machines may work together to form an assembly line. Thus, the application of more than one machine for component placement on a PCB presents a line-balancing problem, which is basically concerned with balancing the workload of all the machines in an assembly line. This paper describes the application of a new artificial intelligence technique known as the immune algorithm to PCB component placement as well as the line balancing of PCB assembly line. It also includes an overview of PCB assembly and an outline of the assembly line balancing problem. Two case studies are used to validate the IA engine developed in this work. The details of IA, the IA engine and the case studies are presented.

Printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) is the major portion of manufacturing processes of electronic manufacturing services (EMS) industry, where surface mounting technology (SMT) has become the primary assembly method. Two series-connected SMT placement machines in a SMT assembly line are often the bottlenecks due to the unevenly distributed workloads. This paper studies the line balancing of the SMT assembly line focusing on the workload distribution between the two placement machines. A heuristic approach is proposed to reduce the workload difference of the two machines without increasing the total machine setup time. A software, which can be used as an effective automation tool for a company, is then developed based on the heuristic model. This will increase the quality of the service that the company provides to its customers.