Kitting/release in multi-echelon, multi-product assembly systems /

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Chen, Jeng-Fung
Other Authors: Curry, Guy L. (degree committee member.), Hogg, Gary L. (degree committee member.), Vogel, Thomas I. (degree committee member.)
Format: Thesis Book
Language:English
Published: 1991.
Subjects:
Online Access:Link to OAKTrust copy
Description
Abstract:This dissertation deals with the kitting/release problem encountered in multi-echelon, multi-product assembly systems. The problem is first modeled as a 0/1 integer program. Preprocessing procedures are then used to improve the formulation. Two optimizing solution approaches, one based upon Lagrangian relaxation methods and the other based upon a study of the convex hull of the kitting/release problem, are developed to solve this NP-hard problem. In the first approach, the Lagrangian problem, which is separable, is resolved by a dynamic programming algorithm. Computational efficiency is enhanced by derived dominance properties and by a branching method devised for use in the branch and bound procedure. In the second (strong cutting plane) approach, facets and high dimensional faces of the convex hull of the kitting/release problem are used as cuts. In addition, for each derived valid inequality, a polynomial time algorithm is presented to solve the associated separation problem. A new heuristic which is not based on a linear programming approximation is also developed for large-scale industrial applications. Computational results indicate that the Lagrangian approach out performed a standard linear programming-based branch and bound method provided by OSL, and that the new heuristic provided better solution values than the methods often applied in industry.
Item Description:Typescript (photocopy).
Vita.
"Major subject: Industrial Engineering."
Physical Description:ix, 129 leaves : illustrations ; 29 cm
Bibliography:Includes bibliographical references.