ABSTRACT
The values of line parameters are obtained from a combination of real-life assembly lines. The design problem and the line concepts are followed by a sequence of subjects such as process design, material-handling system, work-in-process management policy, and resource planning. A high-technology product consists of over 100 parts. Both the size and the weight of the product are suitable for manual handling systems. The assembly process involves an expensive testing operation which uses an automated tool that costs about 800,000 dollars. The test tool may test two pieces of product simultaneously. A human operator is much more flexible than an automated tool. A manual job can be easily restructured. Since a high-technology product may experience a number of engineering changes, job restructuring is almost inevitable. If assembly tools are simple enough, line rebalancing after a major change may not be too costly.
