Mixed-Model Assembly Line Design with New Product Variants in Production Generations

Among all the challenges which highlight need of reconfigurability in manufacturing systems, taking into account introduction a new product has been rarely considered by researchers. Indeed, variants future production generation line at initial design stage smooths reconfiguration process line. This paper studies mixed-model assembly planning problem where consists several resources (workers and robots). study aims to produces given family with set variants, variant will be added after certain period time, named generation. At each generation, can change addition/removal variant. Therefore, needs reconfigured We propose Mixed-Integer Linear Programming (MILP) minimize total effort, cost designing reconfiguring buying, selling, re-assigning equipment worst scenario possible families are produced The MILP is validated through solving simple example, results given.