Determining numbers of workstations and operators for a linear walking-worker assembly line

This paper presents an investigation into a system of linear walking-worker (WW) assembly lines that have been implemented in a local small and medium enterprise (SME). The work aims to observe the relevant impact on logical interactions and interrelationships between the number of workstations and the number of walking workers against the system performance and to minimize these numbers providing a quick response in re-configuration of the system to meet a given output and cycle time. This has been achieved by developing a simulation model for a theoretical study into the linear WW system using a manufacturing-focused simulation tool. By examination of the results of a series of simulation experiments, a minimization of the numbers of workstations and walking workers for a linear WW line configuration can be quantified. The research concluded that this multiskilled linear WW assembly line is able to sustain a higher flexibility and efficiency as compared with a conventional linear fixed-worker (FW) assembly line under similar conditions.