Flexible Manufacturing Cells and

Systems
• What is a Flexible Manufacturing System?
• FMC/FMS Components
• FMS Applications Considerations
• Analysis of Flexible Manufacturing Systems
• Alternative Approaches to Flexible Manufacturing

Automation, Production Systems and Computer-integrated Manufacturing, M. P. Groover, PHI; ©2008 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper
Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
Background
• Batch manufacturing: the most common form of production
• It is important to make mid-volume manufacturing, which is
traditionally accomplished in batches, as efficient and
productive as possible.
• In addition, there has been a trend to integrate the design
and manufacturing functions in a firm
• Group technology is a manufacturing philosophy in which
similar parts are identified and grouped together to take
advantage of their similarities in design and production.
– Similar parts are arranged into part families, where
each part family possesses similar design and/or
manufacturing characteristics
Automation, Production Systems and Computer-integrated Manufacturing, M. P. Groover, PHI; ©2008 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper
Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
Background
• Organizing the production equipment into machine cells, where
each cell specializes in the production of a part family, is called
cellular manufacturing.
• Machine Cell Configurations:
– Single-machine cell
– Group-machine cell with manual handling
– Group-machine cell with semi-integrated handling
– Flexible manufacturing cell or flexible manufacturing system
• The flexible manufacturing system (FMS) combines a fully
integrated material handling system with automated processing
stations.
– The FMS is the most highly automated of the group
technology machine cells.
Automation, Production Systems and Computer-integrated Manufacturing, M. P. Groover, PHI; ©2008 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper
Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
 Where to Apply FMS Technology
• The plant presently either:
– Produces parts in batches or
– Uses manned GT cells and management wants to
automate the cells
• It must be possible to group a portion of the parts made
in the plant into part families
– The part similarities allow them to be processed on
the FMS workstations
• Parts and products are in the mid-volume, mid-variety
production range

Automation, Production Systems and Computer-integrated Manufacturing, M. P. Groover, PHI; ©2008 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper
Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
 Flexible Manufacturing System - Defined
A highly automated GT machine cell, consisting of a group
of processing stations (usually CNC machine tools),
interconnected by an automated material handling and
storage system, and controlled by an integrated computer
system
• The FMS relies on the principles of GT
– No manufacturing system can produce an unlimited
range of products (unlimited flexible)
– An FMS is capable of producing a single part family or
a limited range of part families (defined range of styles,
sizes and processes)

Automation, Production Systems and Computer-integrated Manufacturing, M. P. Groover, PHI; ©2008 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper
Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
Flexibility Tests in an Automated Manufacturing
System

To qualify as being flexible, a manufacturing system should

satisfy the following criteria (“yes” answer for each
question):
1. Can it process different part styles in a non-batch
mode?
2. Can it accept changes in production schedule?
3. Can it respond gracefully to equipment malfunctions
and breakdowns?
4. Can it accommodate introduction of new part designs?

Automation, Production Systems and Computer-integrated Manufacturing, M. P. Groover, PHI; ©2008 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper
Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
 Automated Manufacturing Cell

Automated cell with

two machine tools
and robot that
transfers parts
between carousel
and machine tools

Is it flexible?

Automation, Production Systems and Computer-integrated Manufacturing, M. P. Groover, PHI; ©2008 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper
Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
 Is the Robotic Work Cell Flexible? (1 of 2)

1. Part variety test

– Can it machine different part configurations in a mix
rather than in batches?
2. Schedule change test
– Can production schedule and part mix be changed?

Automation, Production Systems and Computer-integrated Manufacturing, M. P. Groover, PHI; ©2008 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper
Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
 Is the Robotic Work Cell Flexible? (2 of 2)

3. Error recovery test

– Can it operate if one machine breaks down?
▪ Example: while repairs are being made on the
broken machine, can its work be temporarily
reassigned to the other machine?
4. New part test
– As new part designs are developed, can NC part
programs be written off-line and then downloaded to
the system for execution?

Automation, Production Systems and Computer-integrated Manufacturing, M. P. Groover, PHI; ©2008 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper
Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
 Types of FMS
• Kinds of operations
– Processing v s assembly ersu

– Type of processing
▪ If machining, rotational v s non-rotational ersu

• Number of machines (workstations):

1. Single machine cell (n = 1)
2. Flexible manufacturing cell (n = 2 or 3)
3. Flexible manufacturing system (n = 4 or more)

Automation, Production Systems and Computer-integrated Manufacturing, M. P. Groover, PHI; ©2008 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper
Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
Single-Machine Manufacturing Cell

Although does not

meet third criteria of
machine breakdown

Automation, Production Systems and Computer-integrated Manufacturing, M. P. Groover, PHI; ©2008 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper
Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
 Flexible Manufacturing Cell (FMC)

The handling system usually

includes a limited parts-storage capacity.

Automation, Production Systems and Computer-integrated Manufacturing, M. P. Groover, PHI; ©2008 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper
Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
 Flexible Manufacturing System (FMS)
• An important distinction between an FMS and an FMC is the
number of machines

• FMS generally includes non-processing workstations that

support production but do not directly participate in it.
– Part/pallet washing stations, inspection stations, and so on.

• The computer control system of an FMS is generally more

sophisticated, often including functions such as diagnostics and
tool monitoring.

Automation, Production Systems and Computer-integrated Manufacturing, M. P. Groover, PHI; ©2008 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper
Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
 Flexibility Comparisons for the Three Types
of Cells and Systems
Four Tests of Flexibility

2. Schedule
System Type 1. Part Variety 3. Error Recovery 4. New Part
Change

Yes, but processing

Single-machine Limited recovery due
is sequential, not Yes Yes
cell to only one machine.
simultaneous.

Flexible Yes, simultaneous Error recovery limited

manufacturing production of Yes by fewer machines Yes
cell (FMC) different parts. than FMS.

Flexible Yes, simultaneous Machine redundancy

Manufacturing production of Yes minimizes effect of Yes
system (FMS) different parts. machine breakdowns.

Automation, Production Systems and Computer-integrated Manufacturing, M. P. Groover, PHI; ©2008 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper
Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
FMS Types Level of Flexibility
1. Dedicated FMS
– Designed to produce a limited variety of part styles
– The complete universe of parts to be made on the
system is known in advance
– Part family likely based on product commonality
rather than geometric similarity

2. Random-order FMS
– Appropriate for large part families
– New part designs will be introduced
– Production schedule is subject to daily changes
– General purpose machines are used
Automation, Production Systems and Computer-integrated Manufacturing, M. P. Groover, PHI; ©2008 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper
Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
 Flexibility Comparison for Dedicated and
Random-Order FMS
Four Tests of Flexibility
System 1. Part Variety 2. Schedule 3. Error 4. New Part
Type Change Recovery
Dedicated Limited. All parts Limited changes Usually limited No. New part
FMS are known in can be tolerated. by sequential introductions
advance. processes. are difficult.

Randomord Yes. Substantial Frequent and Machine Yes. System is

er part variations Significant redundancy designed for new
FMS are possible. changes are minimizes effect part designs.
possible. of machine
breakdowns.

The dedicated FMS is less flexible but capable of higher production

rates. The random-order FMS is more flexible but at the cost of
lower production rates.

Automation, Production Systems and Computer-integrated Manufacturing, M. P. Groover, PHI; ©2008 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper
Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
 FMS Components

1. Workstations
2. Material handling and storage system
3. Computer control system

In addition, people are required to manage and operate the

system

Automation, Production Systems and Computer-integrated Manufacturing, M. P. Groover, PHI; ©2008 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper
Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
 Duties Performed by Human Labor

• Loading and unloading parts from the system

• Changing and setting cutting tools
• Maintenance and repair of equipment
• NC part programming
• Programming and operating the computer system
• Overall management of the system

Automation, Production Systems and Computer-integrated Manufacturing, M. P. Groover, PHI; ©2008 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper
Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
Workstations: Load/Unload Stations
– Factory interface with F M S
– Manual or automated
– In Manual case, stations should be ergonomically
designed. Mechanized cranes and other handling
devices are installed to assist the operator with parts that
are too heavy to lift by hand.
– A certain level of cleanliness must be maintained at the
workplace, for which air hoses or other washing facilities
are used
– The load/unload station includes a data entry unit and
monitor for communication between the operator and the
computer system.

Automation, Production Systems and Computer-integrated Manufacturing, M. P. Groover, PHI; ©2008 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper
Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
 Workstations: Machining Stations

• Majorly C N C machine tools

• CNC machining centers, which possess features that make
them compatible, including automatic tool changing and tool
storage, use of palletized work parts, CNC, and capacity for
distributed numerical control
• Machining centers are generally used for nonrotational parts.
• For rotational parts, turning centers are used
• For parts that are mostly rotational but require multi-tooth
rotational cutters (milling and drilling), mill-turn centers and
multitasking machines can be used.

Automation, Production Systems and Computer-integrated Manufacturing, M. P. Groover, PHI; ©2008 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper
Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
CNC Machining Centre and CNC Turning Centre

https://harrisonmachines.com/component/k2/i
temlist/category/3-cnc-turning-centres

https://www.tendersontime.com/blogdetails/supply-universal-types-
cnc-machining-centre-17394/
Mill-Turn Centres

https://www.indiamart.com/proddetail/turnmill-xl-750-cnc-turning-centers-16104437755.html
 Workstations: Assembly

• To perform assembly operations. gradually replacing manual

labor
• Industrial robots are often used as the automated workstations
in these flexible assembly systems.
• They can be programmed to perform tasks with variations in
sequence and motion pattern to accommodate the different
product styles assembled in the system.
• Other examples of flexible assembly workstations are the
programmable component placement machines widely used in
electronics assembly.

Automation, Production Systems and Computer-integrated Manufacturing, M. P. Groover, PHI; ©2008 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper
Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
Programmable Component Placement
Machines

https://neodenusa.com/smt-pick-and-place
Workstations: Other Stations and Equipment

• Inspection can be incorporated into a flexible manufacturing

system, either by including an inspection operation at a
processing workstation or by including a station specifically
designed for inspection.

• Coordinate measuring machines, special inspection probes that

can be used in a machine tool spindle, and machine vision

• Other possibilities: Press working equipment, forging process,

coolant delivery systems and chip removal systems

Automation, Production Systems and Computer-integrated Manufacturing, M. P. Groover, PHI; ©2008 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper
Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
Machine Vision
Machine vision consists of the acquisition of image data, followed by the
processing and interpretation of these data by computer for some
industrial application

Automation, Production Systems and Computer-integrated Manufacturing, M. P. Groover, PHI; ©2008 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper
Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
Material Handling and Storage
• Second major component in FMS
• Functions:
– Random, independent movement of parts between
stations
– Capability to handle a variety of part styles
▪ Standard pallet fixture base for prismatic parts
▪ Fixture located on top of pallet and bottom designed for
materials handling system
▪ For rotational part, robots are used
– Temporary storage, however small queue
– Convenient access for loading and unloading
– Compatibility with computer control; under direct control of
computer for directions
Automation, Production Systems and Computer-integrated Manufacturing, M. P. Groover, PHI; ©2008 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper
Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
 Material Handling Equipment
• Primary handling system establishes basic FMS layout;
used for movement of parts between the stations in FMS
• Secondary handling system - functions:
– Transfers work from primary handling system to
workstations
– Position and locate part with sufficient accuracy and
repeatability for the operation
– Reorient part to present correct surface for
processing
– Buffer storage to maximize machine utilization

Automation, Production Systems and Computer-integrated Manufacturing, M. P. Groover, PHI; ©2008 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper
Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
 Some Relevant Equipment

• Materials Transport Systems (already discussed)

• Industrial Robots
• Inline transfer mechanisms:
– Some of them already discussed such as roller, belt
and chain conveyers, cart-on-track conveyers,
walking beam transfer system etc. (linear transfer
systems)
– Automatic pallet changer

Automation, Production Systems and Computer-integrated Manufacturing, M. P. Groover, PHI; ©2008 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper
Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
 Walking Beam Transfer System

• Suggested Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTRaTSV_T3E

Automation, Production Systems and Computer-integrated Manufacturing, M. P. Groover, PHI; ©2008 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper
Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
Automatic Pallet Changer
Horizontal Machining
Centre

http://www.2linc.com/workhol
ding_pallet.htm

http://www.hannsa.tw/e_html/YMH630.html
Single Pallet With End Work Stop, Hex Workstops,
Edge Clamps and Drill Through Pallet Cover
 Four Types of FMS Layouts

• The layout of the FMS is established by the material

handling system
• Four basic FMS layouts
1. In-line
2. Loop
3. Open field
4. Robot-centered cell

Automation, Production Systems and Computer-integrated Manufacturing, M. P. Groover, PHI; ©2008 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper
Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
FMS In-Line Layout

• Straight line flow, well-defined processing sequence

similar for all work units
• Work flow is from left to right through the same
workstations (no back flow)
• No secondary handling system

Automation, Production Systems and Computer-integrated Manufacturing, M. P. Groover, PHI; ©2008 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper
Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
 FMS In-Line Layout

• Linear transfer system with secondary parts handling

system at each workstation to facilitate flow in two
directions

Automation, Production Systems and Computer-integrated Manufacturing, M. P. Groover, PHI; ©2008 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper
Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
 FMS In-Line Layout with Integrated Storage
System

Workers load parts into the system during the day shift,
and the FMS operates unattended during the two
overnight shifts

Automation, Production Systems and Computer-integrated Manufacturing, M. P. Groover, PHI; ©2008 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper
Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
 FMS Loop Layout

• One direction flow, but variations in processing sequence

possible for different part types
• Secondary handling system at each workstation

Automation, Production Systems and Computer-integrated Manufacturing, M. P. Groover, PHI; ©2008 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper
Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
 FMS Rectangular Layout

• Rectangular layout allows recirculation of pallets back to

the first station in the sequence after unloading at the
final station

Automation, Production Systems and Computer-integrated Manufacturing, M. P. Groover, PHI; ©2008 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper
Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
 FMS Open
Field Layout

• Multiple loops and

ladders, suitable for
large part families

Automation, Production Systems and Computer-integrated Manufacturing, M. P. Groover, PHI; ©2008 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper
Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
 Robot-Centered Cell

• Suited to the
handling of
rotational parts
and turning
operations

Automation, Production Systems and Computer-integrated Manufacturing, M. P. Groover, PHI; ©2008 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper
Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
 Material Handling Equipment Typically Used as the Primary
Handling System for FMS Layouts

Layout Configuration Typical Material Handling System

In-line layout In-line transfer system
Conveyor system
Rail-guided vehicle system
Overhead rail-guided vehicle system with
robotic part handling
Loop layout Conveyor system
In-floor towline carts
Open field layout Automated guided vehicle system
In-floor towline carts
Robot-centered layout Industrial robot

Automation, Production Systems and Computer-integrated Manufacturing, M. P. Groover, PHI; ©2008 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper
Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
 FMS Computer Control System
• The FMS includes a distributed computer control system
that is interfaced to the workstations, material handling
system, and other hardware components.

• A typical FMS computer system consists of a central

computer and microcomputers controlling the individual
machines and other components.

• In addition, an uplink from the FMS to the corporate host

computer is provided

Automation, Production Systems and Computer-integrated Manufacturing, M. P. Groover, PHI; ©2008 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper
Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
 FMS Computer Control System-Functions
1. Workstation control
– Individual stations require controls, usually
computerized (CNC processing stations)

2. Distribution of control instructions to workstations

– Central intelligence required to coordinate processing
at individual stations
– DNC is used; NC programs storing, editing, new
programs
3. Production control
– Product mix, machine scheduling, and other planning
functions, instructions to the workers
Automation, Production Systems and Computer-integrated Manufacturing, M. P. Groover, PHI; ©2008 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper
Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
FMS Computer Control System Functions
4. Traffic control
– Management of the primary handling system to move
parts between workstations
5. Shuttle control
– Coordination of secondary handling system with
primary handling system
– This must be coordinated with traffic control and
synchronized with the operation of the machine tool it
serves
6. Workpiece monitoring
– Monitoring the status of each part in the system

Automation, Production Systems and Computer-integrated Manufacturing, M. P. Groover, PHI; ©2008 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper
Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
FMS Computer Control System Functions
7. Tool control
– Tool location
▪ Keeping track of each tool in the system
– Tool life monitoring
▪ Monitoring usage of each cutting tool and
determining when to replace worn tools
8. Performance monitoring and reporting
– Availability, utilization, production piece counts, etc.
– Report generation
9. Diagnostics
– Diagnose malfunction causes and recommend
repairs, Data used for preventive maintenance
schedule planning
Automation, Production Systems and Computer-integrated Manufacturing, M. P. Groover, PHI; ©2008 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper
Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
 FMS Applications

• Machining – most common application of FMS

technology, non-rotational products more common (being
heavy to load on machine and expensive usually, lead
times are more)
• Assembly
• Inspection
• Sheet metal processing (punching, shearing, bending,
and forming)
• Forging

Automation, Production Systems and Computer-integrated Manufacturing, M. P. Groover, PHI; ©2008 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper
Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
 Vought Aerospace FMS
http://www.nuigalway.ie/staff
sites/david_osullivan/documents/unit_15_flexible_manufacturing_systems
.pdf

The system is used to machine approximately 600 different

aircraft components.
Automation, Production Systems and Computer-integrated Manufacturing, M. P. Groover, PHI; ©2008 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper
Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
 Flexible fabricating system (FFS)for automated sheet-metal
processing

http://www.nuigalway.ie/staff
sites/david_osullivan/documents/unit_15_flexible_manufacturing_systems
.pdf

FFS concept was developed by Wiedemann Division of Cross &

Trecker Company
Automation, Production Systems and Computer-integrated Manufacturing, M. P. Groover, PHI; ©2008 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper
Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
 FMS Planning and Implementation Issues

• Implementation of an FMS represents a major investment

and commitment by the user company.

• It is important that the installation of the system be

preceded by a thorough planning and design process

• FMS operation be characterized by good management of

all resources: machines, tools, pallets, parts, and people.

Automation, Production Systems and Computer-integrated Manufacturing, M. P. Groover, PHI; ©2008 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper
Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
FMS Planning Issues
• Part family considerations
– Defining the part family of families to be processed
▪ Based on part similarity
▪ Based on product commonality (refers to different part/
components used on the same product)
• Processing requirements
– Determine types of processing equipment required (such as CNC
machines)
• Physical characteristics of work parts
– Size and weight determine size of processing equipment and
material handling equipment
• Production volume: decides how many machines of each type and type
of material handling system

Automation, Production Systems and Computer-integrated Manufacturing, M. P. Groover, PHI; ©2008 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper
Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
 FMS Design Issues

• Types of workstations: types of machines and

load/unload stations
• Variations in process routings:
– If variations in process sequence are minimal, then an
in-line flow is appropriate.
– For a system with higher product variety, a loop might
be more suitable.
– If there is significant variation in the processing/ large
part family, an open field layout is appropriate
• Material handling system: Primary/secondary

Automation, Production Systems and Computer-integrated Manufacturing, M. P. Groover, PHI; ©2008 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper
Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
 FMS Design Issues
• Work-in-process and storage capacity
– WIP level is too low; then stations may become starved for work;
reduced utilization.
– WIP level is too high; congestion may result.
– Storage capacity in the FMS must be compatible with WIP level.
• Tooling
– Types and numbers of tools at each station
– Degree of duplication of tooling at different stations.
▪ Tool duplication at stations increases the flexibility
• Pallet fixtures
– Select the number of pallet fixtures used in the system.

Automation, Production Systems and Computer-integrated Manufacturing, M. P. Groover, PHI; ©2008 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper
Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
FMS Operations Management Issues
• To achieve operational objectives related to profit, quality,
and customer satisfaction
• Scheduling and dispatching
• Sync with master production schedule
• Launching parts into the system at appropriate times
• Machine loading
– Deciding what operations and associated tooling at
each workstation to achieve master schedule
• Part routing
– Selecting routes to be followed by each part to
maximize use of resources
Automation, Production Systems and Computer-integrated Manufacturing, M. P. Groover, PHI; ©2008 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper
Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
FMS Operational Issues
• Part grouping
– Part types must be grouped for simultaneous
production
• Tool management
– When to change tools and how to allocate tools
• Pallet and fixture allocation
– Limits on fixture types may limit part types that can be
processed
– To be made available before a given part is launched
in the system
– Modular pallet fixtures

Automation, Production Systems and Computer-integrated Manufacturing, M. P. Groover, PHI; ©2008 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper
Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
FMS Benefits
• Increased machine utilization
– Reasons:
▪ 24-hour operation likely to justify investment
▪ Automatic tool changing
▪ Automatic pallet changing at stations
▪ Queues of parts at stations to maximize utilization
▪ Dynamic scheduling of production to account for
changes in demand
• Fewer machines required, due to higher machine utilization
• Reduction in factory floor space required

Automation, Production Systems and Computer-integrated Manufacturing, M. P. Groover, PHI; ©2008 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper
Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
 FMS Benefits
• Greater responsiveness to change in part designs
• Reduced inventory requirements
– Different parts produced continuously rather than in
batches
• Lower manufacturing lead times
• Reduced labor requirements
• Higher productivity
• Opportunity for unattended production
– Machines run overnight (“lights out operation”)

Automation, Production Systems and Computer-integrated Manufacturing, M. P. Groover, PHI; ©2008 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper
Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
Analysis of Flexible Manufacturing Systems
• FMS analysis techniques:
1. Deterministic models
2. Queueing models
3. Discrete event simulation
4. Other approaches, including heuristics
• Deterministic models
1. Bottleneck model - estimates of production rate,
utilization, and other measures for a given product
mix
2. Extended bottleneck model - adds work-in-process
feature to basic model
Automation, Production Systems and Computer-integrated Manufacturing, M. P. Groover, PHI; ©2008 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper
Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
Bottleneck Model
Terminology and Symbols
• Part mix. The mix of the various part or product styles produced
by the system is defined by pj, where pj = the fraction of the total
system output that is of style j.

• Workstations and servers. Let si = the number of servers at

workstation i, where i = 1, 2,c, n. The load/unload station is
included as one of the stations in the FMS
• Process routing. For each part or product, the process routing
defines the sequence of operations, the workstations where
operations are performed, and the associated processing times

Automation, Production Systems and Computer-integrated Manufacturing, M. P. Groover, PHI; ©2008 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper
Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
 • Let Tcijk = processing cycle time, which is the total time that a
production unit occupies a given workstation server,
– k refers to the sequence of operations in the process routing.
– For example, say the fourth operation (k) in the process plan for
part A (j) is performed on machine 2 (i) and takes 8.5 min; thus,
Tc2A4 = 8.5 min.

• Part-handling system. The material handling system considered to be

a special case of a workstation.
• Let it be designated as station n + 1, and the number of carriers in the
system (conveyor carts, AGVs, monorail vehicles, etc.) is analogous to
the number of servers in a regular workstation.
– Let s n + 1 = the number of carriers in the part handling
system.

Automation, Production Systems and Computer-integrated Manufacturing, M. P. Groover, PHI; ©2008 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper
Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
 • Transport time. Let Tr = the mean transport time per
move

• Operation frequency. The expected number of times a

given operation in the process routing is performed for
each work unit.
– For example, an inspection might be performed on a
sampling basis, once every four units; hence, the
frequency for this operation would be 0.25.
– Let f ijk = operation frequency for operation k
in process plan for part j at station i.

Automation, Production Systems and Computer-integrated Manufacturing, M. P. Groover, PHI; ©2008 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper
Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
FMS Operational Parameters
• The average workload for a given station is defined as the mean total
time spent at the station per part (min/pc)

• The average number of transports is equal to the mean number of

operations in the process routing minus one

• The workload of the handling system

Automation, Production Systems and Computer-integrated Manufacturing, M. P. Groover, PHI; ©2008 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper
Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
 Example: Determining nt

Automation, Production Systems and Computer-integrated Manufacturing, M. P. Groover, PHI; ©2008 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper
Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
 System Performance Metrics
• Metrices
– Production rate of all parts
– Production rate of each part style
– Utilization of the different workstations
– Number of busy servers at each workstation
• These measures can be calculated under the assumption
that the FMS is producing at its maximum possible rate.
• This rate is constrained by the bottleneck station in the
system, which is the station with
– the highest workload per server (WLi/si)

Automation, Production Systems and Computer-integrated Manufacturing, M. P. Groover, PHI; ©2008 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper
Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
• Let WL* and s* equal the workload and number of servers,
respectively, for the bottleneck station.
• So the maximum production rate (Rp*; pc/min) of all part
styles

• Individual part production rates can be obtained by multiplying

Rp* by the respective part-mix ratios

where Rpj* = maximum production rate of part style j, pc/min

Automation, Production Systems and Computer-integrated Manufacturing, M. P. Groover, PHI; ©2008 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper
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• The mean utilization of each workstation is the proportion of time that the
servers at the station are working and not idle

• The utilization of the bottleneck station is 100% at Rp*

• To obtain the average station utilization, simply compute the average
value for all stations, including the transport system
where U is an unweighted average of the workstation utilizations

The overall FMS utilization

Automation, Production Systems and Computer-integrated Manufacturing, M. P. Groover, PHI; ©2008 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper
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 • The number of busy servers at each station is of interest.
All of the servers at the bottleneck station are busy at the
maximum production rate, but the servers at the other
stations are idle some of the time

where BSi = number of busy servers on average at station i

WLi = workload at Station i.

Automation, Production Systems and Computer-integrated Manufacturing, M. P. Groover, PHI; ©2008 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper
Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
Example

Automation, Production Systems and Computer-integrated Manufacturing, M. P. Groover, PHI; ©2008 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper
Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
Automation, Production Systems and Computer-integrated Manufacturing, M. P. Groover, PHI; ©2008 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper
Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
Automation, Production Systems and Computer-integrated Manufacturing, M. P. Groover, PHI; ©2008 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper
Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
Automation, Production Systems and Computer-integrated Manufacturing, M. P. Groover, PHI; ©2008 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper
Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
Automation, Production Systems and Computer-integrated Manufacturing, M. P. Groover, PHI; ©2008 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper
Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
 EXAMPLE - Increasing Unutilized Station Capacity

Automation, Production Systems and Computer-integrated Manufacturing, M. P. Groover, PHI; ©2008 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper
Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
Automation, Production Systems and Computer-integrated Manufacturing, M. P. Groover, PHI; ©2008 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper
Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
 Extended Bottleneck Model

• This extended model assumes a closed queueing network

in which there are always a certain number of workparts in
the FMS.
• Let N = this number of parts in the system.
• When one part is completed and exits the FMS, a new raw
workpart immediately enters the system, so that N remains
constant.
• The new part may or may not have the same process
routing as the one just departed.

Automation, Production Systems and Computer-integrated Manufacturing, M. P. Groover, PHI; ©2008 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper
Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
 • N plays a critical role in the operation of the production
system.
– If N is small, then some of the stations will be idle due
to starving, sometimes even the bottleneck station.
▪ In this case, the production rate of the FMS will be
less than Rp*
– lf N is large (say, much larger than the number of
workstations), then the system will be fully loaded, with
queues of parts waiting in front of the stations.
▪ In this case, Rp* will provide a good estimate of the
production capacity of the system.
• However, WIP will be high, and manufacturing lead time
(MLT) will be long.

Automation, Production Systems and Computer-integrated Manufacturing, M. P. Groover, PHI; ©2008 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper
Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
 MLT can be expressed as follows:

Little's formula can be expressed as follows:

Rp = production rate of the system (pc/min)

Automation, Production Systems and Computer-integrated Manufacturing, M. P. Groover, PHI; ©2008 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper
Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
Case 1
When N is small, production rate is less than in the bottleneck case
because the bottleneck station is not fully utilized.
In this case, the waiting time Tw of a unit is (theoretically) zero, and Eq.
reduces to

Production rate

Production rates of the individual parts

Automation, Production Systems and Computer-integrated Manufacturing, M. P. Groover, PHI; ©2008 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper
Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
 Case 2
When N is large, the estimate of maximum production rate

The production rates of the individual products are

Average manufacturing lead time

Mean waiting time a part spends in the system

Automation, Production Systems and Computer-integrated Manufacturing, M. P. Groover, PHI; ©2008 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper
Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
 • The decision whether to use case 1 or case 2 depends on
the value of N.

• Critical value of N is given by the following:

– If N < N*, then case 1 applies.

– If N greater or equal to N*, then case 2 applies

Automation, Production Systems and Computer-integrated Manufacturing, M. P. Groover, PHI; ©2008 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper
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 General behavior of the extended bottleneck model (a)
manufacturing lead time MLT as a function of N and (b)
production rate Rp as a function of N.

Automation, Production Systems and Computer-integrated Manufacturing, M. P. Groover, PHI; ©2008 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper
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Adequacy Factor
• Mejabi compared the estimates computed using the extended
bottleneck model with estimates obtained from the CAN-Q model
• He developed an adequacy factor to assess the differences between
the extended bottleneck model and CAN-Q.

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Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
 Sizing of FMS
• Given the workloads, the number of servers at each station i is
determined as follows:

where
si = number of servers at station i;
Rp = specified production rate of all parts to be produced by
the system, pc/min;
WLi = workload at station i, min

Automation, Production Systems and Computer-integrated Manufacturing, M. P. Groover, PHI; ©2008 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper
Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
Example Sizing the FMS

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Automation, Production Systems and Computer-integrated Manufacturing, M. P. Groover, PHI; ©2008 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper
Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
 Example: The FMS Sizing Problem

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Conclusions from Analytical Equations

• For a given part mix, the total production rate is ultimately

limited by the bottleneck station

• If part mix ratios can be relaxed, it may be possible to

increase total F M S production rate by increasing the
utilization of non-bottleneck stations

• As a first approximation, bottleneck model can be used to

estimate the number of servers of each type to achieve a
specified overall production rate

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Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
Conclusions from Analytical Equations

• The number of parts in the FMS at any one time should be

greater than the number of servers (processing machines)
in the system
– Ratio of two parts per server is probably optimum
– Parts must be distributed throughout the FMS,
especially in front of the bottleneck station
– If WIP is too low, production rate is impaired
– If WIP is too high, MLT increases

Automation, Production Systems and Computer-integrated Manufacturing, M. P. Groover, PHI; ©2008 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper
Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
Alternative Approaches to Flexible
Manufacturing

• Mass customization
• Reconfigurable manufacturing systems
• Agile manufacturing

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 Mass Customization
• Each product is customized to satisfy the specifications of an
individual customer
• Mass production is the production of very large quantities of one
product style, whereas mass customization involves the production of
individually customized product styles in large quantities
• Challenges
– Large inventories of raw material, work-in-process, and finished
product
– High purchasing costs because there are so many parts to order
– Too many setups and short production runs
– Too much special tooling for each product style
– High overhead costs of managing the variety
– So much marketing literature and design data
– Customer confusion
Automation, Production Systems and Computer-integrated Manufacturing, M. P. Groover, PHI; ©2008 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper
Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
 Approaches to achieve mass customization

– Design products that can be readily customized

– Use soft product variety – small differences
among different product styles
– Use design modularity – modules can be
assembled in various combinations to achieve
customization
– Use postponement – waiting until the last
possible moment to complete the product

Automation, Production Systems and Computer-integrated Manufacturing, M. P. Groover, PHI; ©2008 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper
Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
 Reconfigurable Manufacturing Systems
(RMSs)
• An RMS is designed so that its production capacity can be
increased or decreased and that its physical structure can be
quickly altered for part style changes and without major
renovations to the structure
• Features that allow reconfigurability:
– Customized flexibility
– Convertibility
– Scalability
– Modularity
– Integrate-ability
– Diagnostics-ability

Automation, Production Systems and Computer-integrated Manufacturing, M. P. Groover, PHI; ©2008 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper
Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
Agile manufacturing

• Defined as
– (1) an enterprise-level strategy of introducing
new products into rapidly changing markets
and
– (2) an organization possessing the ability to
thrive in a competitive environment
characterized by continuous and sometimes
unforeseen change.

Automation, Production Systems and Computer-integrated Manufacturing, M. P. Groover, PHI; ©2008 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper
Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
 Agile Manufacturing
• Four Principles:

1. Organize to master change – adapting to a changing

environment and new market opportunities
2. Leverage the impact of people and information –
providing the resources that personnel need
3. Cooperate to enhance competitiveness – partnering
with other companies to form virtual enterprises
4. Enrich the customer – producing products that are
perceived by customers as solutions to problems
It is as much a business strategy as it is an approach to
manufacturing.

Automation, Production Systems and Computer-integrated Manufacturing, M. P. Groover, PHI; ©2008 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper
Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
 Becoming Agile

• Two approaches

– Reorganizing the company’s production systems to

make them more agile

– Managing relationships and valuing the knowledge

that exists in the organization

Automation, Production Systems and Computer-integrated Manufacturing, M. P. Groover, PHI; ©2008 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper
Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
Reorganizing the Production System for Agility
• Master mass customization
• Use reconfigurable manufacturing systems.
• Frequent new product introductions. The agile company
maintains a high rate of new product introductions. Even for
products that are successful, the company ntroduces new
models to remain competitive.
• Design products that are upgradeable and reconfigurable
• Pricing by customer value
• Be an effective niche market competitor: Using the same basic
product platform, the product is reconfigured to provide
offerings for different markets

Automation, Production Systems and Computer-integrated Manufacturing, M. P. Groover, PHI; ©2008 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper
Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
 Managing Relationships for Agility
• Internal relationships and relationships between the
company and other organizations.
• Internal relationships :
– Relationships inside the firm must be managed to
promote agility.
• Possible objectives
– Make the work organization adaptive
– Provide cross-functional training
– Encourage rapid partnership formation
– Provide effective electronic communications capability.

Automation, Production Systems and Computer-integrated Manufacturing, M. P. Groover, PHI; ©2008 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper
Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
 External relationships
• Reasons:
– To establish interactive, proactive relationships with
customers
– To provide rapid identification and certification of
suppliers
– To install effective electronic communications and
commerce capability
– To encourage rapid partnership formation for mutual
commercial advantage (virtual enterprise)

Automation, Production Systems and Computer-integrated Manufacturing, M. P. Groover, PHI; ©2008 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper
Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
Virtual Enterprise
• Defined as a temporary partnership of independent
resources intended to exploit a temporary market
opportunity.
• Once the objective is achieved, the organization is dissolved.
• Resources and benefits (profits) sharing
• Potential benefits:
– Access to resources and technologies not available in-
house,
– Access to new markets and distribution channels
– Reduces product development time
– Accelerates technology transfer

Automation, Production Systems and Computer-integrated Manufacturing, M. P. Groover, PHI; ©2008 Pearson Education, Inc., Upper
Saddle River, NJ. All rights reserved.
 The top 10 brands in the Landor Global
Agile Brand Study

https://landor.com/news/samsung-ranks-no-1-and-apple-ranks-no-6-in-landors-inaugural-global-agile-brand-
study-the-only-list-to-define-and-rank-brands-by-agility