A decomposition approach for the car resequencing problem with selectivity banks

An important decision problem when mass-producing customized product to order is the sequencing problem, which decides on the succession of models launched down a mixed-model assembly line. To avoid work overload of workforce the car sequencing problem restricts the maximum occurrence of labor-intensive options, e.g., a sunroof, in a subsequence of a certain length by applying sequencing rules. In the real-world, frequently perturbations occur stirring up an initially planed sequence, so that a resequencing is required. This paper treats the car resequencing problem where a selectivity bank, which is a special form of buffer organization consisting of parallel line segments without assembly operations, is applied to reshuffle a given initial sequence and rule violations are to be minimized. The problem is formalized and suited heuristic solution procedures are presented and tested. Furthermore, the impact of differently sized mix-banks on resequencing flexibility is investigated.