OPTIMIZING THE DESIGN OF AN ASSEMBLY LINE

In this paper we try to analyze the decisions involved in the optimization of the design of an assembly line and how the different models that exist in the literature can help the decision-maker. There is a strong link between how a line is designed and how it can be operated, in this work we want to take this link into account, but our focus is really on the design of the line. In particular we want to investigate how models from the mechanical engineering literature can be combined with models originating from the management science literature.