Manpower allocation in an asynchronous production line with leveled labor

Allocations of the buffer, the server and the workload for enhancing productivity are commonly addressed in serial production lines. This paper presents a framework for allocating the manpower in an asynchronous production line with operators leveled according to different degrees of skill. Throughput is considered as a performance index for measuring a manpower plan. A max-min-sum linear fractional model is proposed to find a promising workload allocation. Based on the preliminary model, an approach for dispatching each operator to appropriate stations is developed. Furthermore, a formula for estimating the requirements for the buffer space is given. In extension, the proposed model can be employed to determine capacity expansion with both workforce and machine additions.