Optimal Due‐date Assignment in an Assembly Shop

Under intensified pressure from both domestic and foreign competition, today′s manufacturers must strive to keep delivery promises and reduce waste. This depends largely on a manufacturer′s ability to assign accurate and attainable due‐dates. Presents an analytical method of assigning optimal total work content (TWK) due‐dates that minimize the average amount of missed due‐dates in a dynamic job shop with assembly operations. The accuracy of the method is assessed through computer simulation of a hypothetical assembly shop with different job structures under various operating conditions. While it is generally more accurate for jobs with simpler structures, the simulation results indicate that, over a range of test conditions, the method is both simple and effective in assigning optimal TWK due‐dates for assembly shops.