Development of simulation-based metamodels for the analysis of routing flexibility, sequencing flexibility and scheduling decision rules on the performance of an FMS

This paper focuses on the development of simulation-based metamodels for analysing the effects of routing flexibility, sequencing flexibility and part sequencing rules (PSRs) on the performance of a typical flexible manufacturing system (FMS). Three routing flexibility levels, five sequencing flexibility levels and four scheduling rules for part sequencing decision are considered for detailed investigation. The performance of the FMS is evaluated using measures related to flow time and tardiness of parts. Multiple regression-based metamodels have been developed using the simulation results. The analysis of results reveals that deterioration in system performance can be minimised substantially by incorporating either routing flexibility or sequencing flexibility or both. However, the benefits of either of these flexibilities diminish at higher flexibility levels. When flexibility exists, PSRs, such as earliest due date and earliest operation due date, provide better performance for all the measures.