Design for Efficient Production Line Constructed from Workers and Robotic Cells Considering Time-series Behavior of Their Capabilities

Abstract

Manufacturers need to keep high efficiency and sufficient production capacity even in any emergency situations such as natural disasters or epidemic diseases as well as steady situations. We proposed a divisional and high-efficient line “DHEL” which is reconfigurable by modifying the production resources that include line workers and multipurpose equipment called robotic cell. It is difficult to determine an appropriate combination of the resources because individual time required for training the workers or adjusting the robotic cells and capabilities to perform assigned tasks should be considered in total. This study proposes a combination design method that can maximize the total production efficiency by considering a time-series behavior of capabilities of individual resources from the viewpoints of quality, delivery, and cost level.