The effect of variability on the unbalanced production line

Several algorithms have been presented for manpower scheduling of the unbalanced production line. This paper uses the best performing algorithm. One Worker At A Time (OWAAT), as a vehicle to assess the effect of variability in selected factors on the performance of the unbalanced production line. Several different performance measures were considered; results indicate that worker efficiency, size of buffer stocks and method for penalizing shortages significantly affect performance, whereas worker absenteeism does not. Additional observations were also made on the effect of these factors on the number and size of shortages.