The previous paper (Part I) developed an approach of the plant layout design by generating the links based on basic elements with a degree of closeness requirement between a pair of departments. This part proposes a layout design for the departments with different areas and shapes by the interaction diagram generated by the link method. Example problems are solved to show the proposed method can generate a departments layout in a simple shape without vacant spaces between the departments.

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This paper designs and analyzes a flexible integrated manufacturing system which integrates manufacturing decisions and cellular manufacturing under the group production and unit handling. The manufacturing decisions considering both make-to-order production and make-to-stock production have four decision problems : (1) production planning for determining optimal overtime and production quantities of ordered products, (2) process planning deals with a decision problem which determines optimal machining speeds and process routes for ordered products, (3) scheduling problem based on product's slack time for determining optimal release time, and (4) cellular layout in terms of its configuration and the material handling, in order to meet desired the due date. The integrated problem considering group setup time is formulated an nonlinear mixed integer programming in order to minimize the total incremental production cost. An illustration was developed to demonstrate the solution procedure.

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This paper proposes a trainable fuzzy classification system based on fuzzy if-then rules. The proposed method subsequently modifies the grade of certainty of each fuzzy if-then rule by a simple error-correction leaning rule. That is, when a pattern is misclassified by a particular fuzzy if-then rule, the grade of certainty of that rule is reduced. In order to examine appropriate parameter specifications in the learning rule, we apply the proposed method to a two-class classification problem in a two-dimensional pattern space. Moreover we demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method by the application to commercial competitive analysis data.

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The criterion how close we should bring an activity to the other activity calls Closeness rating. If a pair of activities have a bigger value than another pair of activities in Closeness rating, the former should be located nearer than the latter. But how close two activities should be located is related to a characteristic of each evaluation item. Traditional study cannot consider these characteristics. In this papar these characteristics are classified into four types. These characteristics are expressed by using fuzzy membership function, and we propose a new method to compose more fuzzy membership functions in Closeness rating.

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In machining operation by a machining center, pallets have been widely utilized because of automatically implementing the multi-product production. Workpieces to be machined are set on a pallet with help of jigs and fixtures. Until now, the location of workpieces to be laid out on a pallet has been experientially established, and very few theoretical studies have been done for determining both the sequence of machining operations and the location of workpieces on a pallet. Therefore, it is necessary to integrate these problems in order to effectively perform the machining operations of workpieces on a pallet. In this paper, an integrated model for simultaneously determining both the optimum sequence of machining operations and the optimum allocation of workpieces on a pallet is proposed under the minimum tool-path criterion. Then, an interactive optimizing algorithm is developed and a numerical example is demonstrated.

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This paper investigates the problem of clarifying a method to obtain a feasible production schedule for multiple products on a single machine over a finite planning horizon. The paper takes into consideration four types of transportation method from the machine's location to each place of consumption, which are derived from the possible combinations on the two factors ; supply timing and transportation lot consolidation. The paper deals with a general case in which the four types are specified under arbitrary mixture for all products. First, the "demand and supply quantity balance equation" in each production cycle is derived. Then, when the planning horizon is sufficiently long, a property is presented that the solution for this balance equation converges to the "balanced lot size, " which is proportional to the demand rate of each product. This property holds irrelevant to the production sequence and the mixture of the transportation types. The paper then presents two scheduling methods, direct application of the solution for the balance equation and utilization of the balanced lot size, for both cases where demand rate for each product is constant, or varies a finite number of times, over the given planning horizon. Furthermore, pros and cons of the two methods are examined from the practical viewpoint of their applications.

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This paper evaluates the performance of Flexible Manufacturing Systems (FMS) with finite local buffers by using the theory of closed queueing networks, and discusses the optimal design problem of maximizing its system throughput under a few facility costs. First, the behavior of the system throughput is considered, and it is found that it has the maximum and its value is greater than the case of infinite local buffers. Next, a design problem of system configuration is formulated, and an optimization algorithm using implicit enumeration method is proposed. Finally, a numerical example is given.

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The purpose of this study is to clarify the framework to understand the relationship between human and advanced large scale information system. The data gathered using a questionnaire was analysed by quantification theory III. As a result, three axes of 'goodness of relationship between human and information system', 'attitude of organization toward the information system', 'overload on individual caused by the information system' were found out. A new image of 'an advanced information-based organization' was obtained. It was also observed that such 'an advanced information-based organization' had been already realized in some organizations.

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This paper applies and verifies a new paradigm, "Industrial Teamwork Dynamics (ITD) : relationship between the teamwork level and the team productivity of work teams" in the Japanese automobile related parts maker using Group Dynamics of Social Psychology for group behavior in Industries. The teamwork level was defined as "closeness" that is a range between the positivest and negativest of factor loading values on first principal component axis to the all Teamwork Determinants (TD, K=12) extracted by Principal Component Analysis (PCA). The team productivity was confirmed as efficiency, achieved ratio of actual work time to standard work time in each work team of this maker. ITD certifies good teamwork level (narrow range) of the work team produced high efficiency and bad teamwork level (wide range) had low efficiency. Especially cohesiveability (people orientation, K=6) of TD was clearer in this trend than another TD, workability (task orientation, K=6) based on statistical significances. Morever, it certifies difference of awareness to TD between high (n=99 persons) and low efficiency work teams (n=100 persons) according to G-P analysis.

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In this paper, a simulation technique by quasi Monte-Carlo method which facilitates high precision, is applied to analysing Flexible Manufacturing Systems (FMS's) and it is proved effective. Then, using the proposed simulation technique, the effects of the assumptions in a single-server closed queueing network model of certain types of M-machine FMS's are investigated. It is assumed that the processing times on the machines in the FMS are distributed according to the Erlang distribution and the machine to which a pallet is delivered is decided under the stochastic condition or predetermined fixed condition. Finally, the weakness of closed queueing network model is pointed out.

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