The influence of shop characteristics on workload control

Several order release methods have been developed for workload control in job shop production. The release methods of the traditional workload control concerts differ in how they deal with the flow of work to each station. Previous research has pointed at strengths and weaknesses of each method. Till now the choice of the appropriate method for a particular situation has hardly received attention. This research shows that shop characteristics are an important factor to this choice, A simulation study indicates that the relative performance of the release methods changes completely with for instance the presence or absence of a dominant flow direction in the shop. Adjustments to the traditional release methods are suggested which prove to make these methods more robust. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.