Computer implementation of a cell formation technique-incorporating consideration of process sequence

Describes the underlying philosophy and subsequent development of a cell formation technique, introduced by John (1985), entitled Auxiliary Cell Formation (ACF). Detail on the program structure chosen to configure the technique and implement the philosophy is also included. The technique holds as a basic tenet the concept that an effective manufacturing cell must consist of at least two independent facilities which sequentially process a component. This tenet is adhered to in both the problem formulation as well as in the subsequent solution