Classification and Balancing of an Automotive Assembly Line

Assembly line balancing (ALB) is the optimal segmentation of assembly tasks with respect to a decided objective. Assembly line balancing problem (ALBP) is usually a multi-objective problem which includes minimization of number of stations, resources, cycle time, cost and the maximization of efficiency and profit. Although a number of assembly line balancing algorithms are available but the solution to multi-objective balancing problem of the real world are still needed. Many researchers have contributed to fill the gap between the real world problems by proposing suitable optimization models. A number of others have proposed a classification scheme for the ALB. In this paper we classify an assembly line of an automotive manufacturing industry, which is the very first effort in this area in Pakistan. The line is then balanced with an objective function of interest.