Abstract

Abstract Paper aims POLCA is a production control system that forwards to gateway manufacturing cells jobs that arrive to a manufacturing system. However, Workload Control literature shows benefits from using a centralized release pre-shop pool. Thus, the paper aims at investigating the performance impact of incorporating centralized job release into POLCA, in high-variety make-to-order production. Originality This has not been investigated before. Research method Simulation was used for experimentation. Main findings In the case of the general flow shop, a manufacturing system configuration aligned with many real-world production systems, the investigation shows that adding centralized job release to the POLCA system, together with job release based on job workload, leads to a markedly improvement of job delivery performance. Implications for theory and practice The results show theoretical and practical relevance of applying central job release to POLCA system, in high-variety production, due to its markedly positive impact on delivery performance.

Highlights

  • POLCA stands for Paired-cell Overlapping Loops of Cards with Authorization and refers to a card-based production control system designed for low-volume, high-mix and custom-engineered products (Suri, 2018)

  • In the study presented in this paper we changed the POLCA framework to accommodate centralized job release

  • We have done this by a centralized release function implemented through card loops between a central release station, i.e. a pre-shop pool of jobs, and the gateway manufacturing cells

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Summary

Introduction

POLCA stands for Paired-cell Overlapping Loops of Cards with Authorization and refers to a card-based production control system designed for low-volume, high-mix and custom-engineered products (Suri, 2018). Cards provide capacity signals between each pair of cells in the routing of the job, ensuring that upstream cells use their capacity effectively by working only on jobs that are needed downstream (Suri, 2018). In this way, POLCA synchronizes the processes between manufacturing cells, reducing the waiting time between the completion of a job in one cell and its start in the cell (Riezebos, 2010).

Background
Introduction of the original POLCA System
Review of the POLCA literature
Extending POLCA with centralized job release
Simulation method
Overview of modelled shops and characteristics of orders
Card acquisition and dispatching rules
Experimental design and performance measures
Results
Performance assessment: general flow shop
Performance assessment: pure flow shop
Conclusions
Managerial implications
Limitations and future research
Full Text
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