How to release orders in assembly job shops?

This paper addresses the problem of controlling the production of complex products needing assembly operations. It presents a simulation study of how WLC release methods behave in an assembly job shop where due dates are set by customers. In particular two alternative strategies to drive the release of work orders are investigated, namely: (1) assigning the same due date and different planned release dates to each work order according to the routing length of each work order and (2) assigning the same due date and the same planned release date to each work order according to the routing length of the largest work order in the assembly order. These strategies are compared and assessed on the basis of two primary performance measures, i.e. total throughput time and mean absolute deviation of the lateness. Results contribute for understanding the implications of dealing with more complex environments than haven’t been dealt with in the past by WLC research.Universidade do MinhoFundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT