A tradeoff analysis between process plan selection and cell formation in cellular manufacturing.

In this paper, an algorithm to evaluate the tradeoff between conflicting objectives in process plan selection and cell formation is developed. Consideration of the minimisation of intercell material movement in cellular manufacturing is necessary but not in itself sufficient to produce a system for which the total work content is minimised. Solving the process plan selection and the cell formation problem for all possible alternative process plans is a time-consuming task, and therefore not economically justifiable. The algorithm is illustrated through the use of a sample problem that shows how it is possible to create a cell using the algorithm presented in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]