Analysis of cellular manufacturing systems in the presence of machine breakdowns: Effects of intercellular transfer

Purpose - The aim of this paper is to illustrate a solution that can be used to reduce the severity of breakdowns and improve performances in the cellular manufacturing (CM) system with unreliable machines. Design/methodology/approach - The performance of CM system is conditioned by disruptive events, such as the failure of machines, which randomly occurs and penalizes the performance of the cells, seriously disturbing the smooth working of the factory. To overcome the problem caused by the breakdowns, the authors develop a solution, based on the principle of virtual cell and the notion of intercellular transfer that can improve the availability of the system. In this context, the use an analytical method based on Markov chains to model the availability of the cell. The results are validated using simulation. Findings - The proposed solution in this paper confirmed that it is possible to reduce the severity of breakdowns in the CM system and improve the availability of the cells through an intercellular transfer created at the time of a breakdown. Simulation allowed a validation of the analytical model and showed the contribution of the suggested solution. Originality/value - The developed approach studies the performance of the production cells formed by unreliable machines. It uses the notion of the intercellular transfer to improve the availability of the cells.