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Assembly line modelling research group

Dr. Tamás Koltai

Full Professor

PhD, DSc

H-1117 Budapest, Magyar tudósok krt. 2.

+3614633599

koltai.tamas@gtk.bme.hu

Introduction of the Research Group

Assembly line balancing (ALB) allocates tasks to workstations by satisfying the precedence constraints of tasks determined by technology, organizational issues, safety constraints, etc. Several objective functions are used when the optimal allocation of tasks is determined, like station time minimization, capacity maximization, cost reduction or the optimization of some agronomical or physiological indicator.
In our earlier research, simple assembly line balancing models were completed with constraints related to worker's skills. These results can be extended for cases when robots work at the assembly line. When a robot is used as an independent workstation, then it can be considered as a worker with special skills. If however a robot works in collaboration with a worker at a workstation, then the task assignment problem must be completed with scheduling problems. The objective of the research group is the development of such models for robot and worker collaboration, which complete traditional simple assembly line balancing models with conditions pertaining to the joint application of robots and workers.
Another important direction of our ALB model development is the consideration of learning effect when tasks are assigned to workstations. In the early stages of the operation of an assembly line, the task time of workers may decrease as a consequence of learning. The consideration of learning effect may decrease the required number of workstations and may lead to significant cost savings.
The model development is based on mathematical programming and on constraint programming. The applied computational platform is the AIMMS mathematical programming system.

Achievements

Simple assembly line balancing models considering the skills of workers

Models for the collaboration of workers and robots at workstations

Assembly line balancing models considering the effect of learning

Development of ALB decision making platform with AIMMS

Publications

Koltai, T; Dimény, I; Gallina, V; Gaal, A; Sepe, C
An analysis of task assignment and cycle times when robots are added to human-operated assembly lines, using mathematical programming models
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PRODUCTION ECONOMICS 242 Paper: 108292 , 10 p. (2021)
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpe.2021.108292

Dimény, I; Koltai, T; Sepe, C; Murino, T; Gallina, V; Komenda, T
MILP model to reduce the number of workers in assembly lines with human-robot collaboration
IFAC PAPERLINE 54 : 1 pp. 169-174. , 6 p.m. (2021)
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ifacol.2021.08.019

Koltai, T; Kallo, N
Analysis of the Effect of Learning on the Throughput-Time in Simple Assembly Lines
COMPUTERS AND INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING 111 pp. 507-515. , 9 pm (2017) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cie.2017.03.034

Koltai, T; Tatay, V; Kallo, N
Application of the results of simple assembly line balancing models in practice: the case of a bicycle manufacturer
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF COMPUTER INTEGRATED MANUFACTURING 27 : 9 pp. 887-898. , 12 p. (2014)
https://doi.org/10.1080/0951192X.2013.834482

Koltai, T; Tatay, V
Formulation of workforce skill constraints in assembly line balancing models
OPTIMIZATION AND ENGINEERING 14 : 4 pp. 529-545. , 17 p. (2013)
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11081-013-9230-x

Journals

IFAC Conference on Manufacturing Modelling, Management and Control (MIM)
IFAC Conference on Intelligent Manufacturing Systems (IMS)
Flexible Automation and Intelligent Manufacturing (FAIM)
International Working Seminar on Production Economics (Innsbruck)
International Journal of Production Economics
International Journal of Production Research

Projects

10th MIM conference Manufacturing Modeling and Control
Nante, France 22-24 June 2022 (Dimény I. speaker, Koltai T. co-author)

17th IFAC Symposium on Information Control Problems in Manufacturing INCOM 2021
Budapest, Hungary, June 7-9, 2021 (Dimény I. speaker, Koltai T. co-author)

Twenty-first Working Seminar on Production Economics, 
Innsbruck, Austria, February 24-28, 2020 (Dimény I. speaker, Koltai T. co-author)

9th IFAC Conference on Manufacturing Modelling, Management and Control MIM 2019
Berlin, Germany, 28–30 August 2019 (Koltai T. co-author)

Conferences

IFAC Conference on Manufacturing Modelling, Management and Control (MIM)
IFAC Conference on Intelligent Manufacturing Systems (IMS)
Flexible Automation and Intelligent Manufacturing (FAIM)
International Working Seminar on Production Economics (Innsbruck)

International Journal of Production Economics
International Journal of Production Research