212TECHNICAL ARTICLE Simulation Analysis of Order and Kanban Sequencing Rules in a Kanban-Controlled Flow Shop

This paper presents a simulation study of several customer order and kanban sequencing/selection rules in a kanban-controlled flow shop. Kanbans are used to authorize production within a work center and withdrawals from previous work cen-ters. In addition to single queue sequencing rules such as first-come, first-served (FCFS) and shortest processing time first (SPT), a set ofmul-tiple queue selection rules are defined for produc-tion kanbans. Furthermore, assuming that the orders wait in separate queues determined by part type, single queue sequencing rules are ap-plied to customer orders within each queue. A simulation model is developed to investigate the effect of kanban-order sequencing rule combina-tions on performance measures such as mean order cycle time, lateness, and tardiness. The re-sults indicate that the shortest processing time first-smallest order quantity combination (SPT-SOQ) is the best operating policy