Towards a Production Complexity Model that Supports Operation, Re-balancing and Man-hour Planning

Mass customization and more variants, components, and frequent changes increase productioncomplexity. This paper presents research project aimed at developing a feasibledefinition of complexity, a method for measuring complexity, which supports line rebalancing,man-hour planning, and complexity management, competence, and informationsupport. The project is done in collaboration between Swerea IVF, Chalmers, Volvo Cars,Electrolux, Stoneridge, Electronics, and AB Volvo. Industrial studies were carried out tounderstand the needs for handling complexity. In parallel, a literature study was conductedover research on definitions, models and methods for complexity. In literature, complexityis commonly modelled by information and entropy of the system (randomness); and categorizedinto static/dynamic and subjective/objective. The research further concludes: unknownevents increase with complexity, making management of uncertainty increasinglyimportant, not only reducing but also coping with complexities; the role of humans andtechnology in work systems is crucial for coping with uncertainties; complexity models andmethods must be easy to understand and use; and must take a holistic view of production;and include different user’s perspective and the subjective complexity