Line Rules (tiasl1570m000)

Use this session to view or define sequencing rules to apply to assembly lines. These rules are used to calculate penalty costs in the Simulate and Create Line Sequences (tiasl4200m000) session. You can link the rules to line segments in the Line Segment - Line Rules (tiasl1571m000) session. The rules used in sequencing are the ones of the pivot segment.

You can define either mix rules, or placement rules, or priority rules. For further details, see the Field help and the Line sequencing and rule types in Assembly Control topic.

Note: You can start the Option Combination Lists (tiasl1511m000) session from the appropriate menu.

Field Information

Rule

Rule

Rule Type

Enter the rule type for this assembly line.

MIX rules

The following rule types exist for mix rules: capacity restriction rules, proportional rules, and relative proportional rules.

Capacity Restriction

The total capacity of the line is limited, for example: maximum 500 bikes with option combination City in one day.

For Capacity Restriction, you can select one of three types of dispersion in the Method of Dispersion field:

  • Average Dispersion
  • Sliding Window Avg. Disp.
  • Sliding Window Cap. Resr.

Proportional

Option combinations must be present in fixed proportion of the total order, for example, the ratio CityBike to other orders must be 1:2.

You can define two dispersion types for Proportional rules:

  • Average Dispersion
  • Sliding Window Avg. Disp. You define this in the Method of Dispersion field.

Relative Proportional

The same as Proportional, except that the Method of Dispersion is always relative dispersion. You must specify a second option combination which the first one is dispersed in relation to.

PLACEMENT rules

The following placement rules exist: clustering rules, blocking rules, and priority rules.

Clustering

Use this rule to place option combinations next to each other with the same options, when changing between options that involve a long change-over time. For example, place all Blue Bikes next to each other, because changing paint color takes a long time.

Blocking

Certain option combinations must not be placed next to certain other option combinations. For example, light colors must not be painted after dark colors, to minimize the effects of paint contamination.

Priority

Priority Priority rules take three factors into consideration:

  • The assembly order's offline date.
  • The manually-entered priority of the assembly order.
  • Whether or not the assembly order has been sold. Orders that have been sold, have a higher priority than unsold orders.

Rule Priority

Rules with a higher rule priority-number take precedence over rules with a lower priority-number.

Critical Option Combination

An option combination is a combination of options that is identified by one code. This code can be used in the line rules.

The option combination that you enter in this field is dependent on the type of rule you have:

  • Capacity Restriction Specify the option combination that is restricted in this field.
  • Proportional Specify the option combination. Enter one option combination and a ratio in this field. This restricts the specific option combination in relation to any other option combination.
  • Relative Proportional

Specify the option combination that is restricted in relation to the other option combination. You enter the other option combination in the Relative Option Combination field. Enter two option combinations and a ratio in the current field to restrict the specific option combination in relation to other specific option combinations.

Relative Option Combination

Specify the relative option combination that restricts the option combination that you entered in the Critical Option Combination field, if you are using the relative proportional rule.

A relative proportional rule is used to define the ratio of the number of orders that consist of a specific option combination to the number of orders that consist of another specific option combination.

Density

The density value that you enter in this field is dependent on the type of rule you use:

  • Capacity restriction rule. Enter the maximum number of critical option combinations that are allowed for a day.
  • Proportional rule. Enter the number of option combinations that are restricted in relation to a number of any other option combinations. Example Your proportional rule is Red:Any other option combination, and the ratio is 1:5. As a result you can only have one red product for every five products that have any other option combination. The value entered into the current field, in this example, is 1.
  • Relative proportional rule. Enter the number of orders with the critical option combination that is restricted in relation to the option combination that you entered in the Relative Option Combination field. The number of orders that are related to the critical option combination, defined in this field, and to a specific other option combination is entered in the Regenerative Interval field. Example Your relative proportional rule is Red:Blue, and the ratio is 1:5. As a result you can only have one red product for every five blue products. The value entered into the current field, in this example, is 1.

Regenerative Interval

This is the number of orders for which the Density field is calculated. You can use one of two rules:

  • Proportional rule. The value entered in the current field is the number of orders that are related to the critical option combination, which is defined in the Density field, and any other option combination. For example, your proportional rule is Red:Any other option combination, and your ratio is 1:5. As a result you can only have one red product for every five other products. The value entered into the current field, in this example, is 5.
  • Relative Proportional rule. The value entered in the current field is the number of orders that are related to the critical option combination, which is defined in the Density field, and to a specific other option combination. For example, Your relative proportional rule is Red:Blue, and the ratio is 1:5. This means you can only have one red product for every five blue products. The value entered into the current field, in this example, is 5.

Method of Dispersion

You did not select a mix rule (the Rule Type was Clustering, or Blocking or Priority).

Average Dispersion

The Critical Option Combination is distributed evenly throughout the orders. Applicable for:

  • Capacity Restriction
  • Proportional

Relative Dispersion

The Critical Option Combination is distributed evenly in respect to the Critical Option Combination. Applicable only for Relative Proportional.

Sliding Window Cap. Restr.

A window is a certain number of adjacent line segments and is sliding because the windows can overlap. The rule is proportional and states the following: a maximum ratio of a given option combination and any other option combination. For example, for every RedBike option combination, there must be at least one other option combination in any four option combinations (density = 50%, window =4). Applicable for Capacity Restriction

Sliding Window Avg. Disp.

The rule is the same as Sliding Window Cap. Resr., however, in each sliding window, the option combination must be as evenly dispersed as possible. Applicable for:

  • Capacity Restriction
  • Proportional

Window Size

The size of the window, if the Method of Dispersion is Sliding Window Cap. Resr. or Sliding Window Avg. Disp. For example, if the window size is four, the rule must apply to any four adjacent line stations.

Positive Deviation Penalty

The penalty cost for sequencing more critical option combinations than is specified in the mix rule.

Negative Deviation Penalty

The penalty cost for sequencing less critical option combinations than is specified in the mix rule.

Options List

If you select Blocking or Clustering in the Rule Type field, the option combinations that are either not sequenced together (blocking), or sequenced together (clustering).

  • Blocking rules. An option combination list is called a block in Line Assembly Configuration (LAC). This option combination list is linked to a blocking rule. You can define which option combination cannot succeed another option combination in the option combination list, and LN blocks the occurrence. If you have multiple option combinations, you can define which option combination cannot succeed the multiple option combinations.
  • Clustering rules. An option combination list is also called a cluster in Line Assembly Configuration (LAC). This option combination list is linked to a cluster rule. You can define multiple option combinations in a cluster, and LN clusters those combinations. A sequence number is attached to every option combination.

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