Assembly line feeding problem

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The assembly line feeding problem (abbr. ALFP) describes a problem in operations management concerned with finding the optimal way of feeding parts to assembly stations.^[1] For this, various cost elements may be taken into account and every part is assigned to a policy, i.e., a way of feeding parts to an assembly line. The most common policies are:

• Line stocking (also: line side stocking, pallet to work-station, etc)
• Boxed-supply (also: Kanban, batch supply, etc.)
• Sequencing
• Stationary kitting (also: indirect supply, trolley to workstation)
• Traveling kitting (also: indirect supply, kit to assembly line)

These policies differ with respect to the way parts are brought to the line as well as in the way parts are handled before they are brought to the line. E.g., in line stocking, parts are brought to the line directly in the way they are stored in the warehouse. In the other policies, quantities are reduced (boxed supply) and different part variants are sorted in the order of demand (sequencing, stationary, and traveling kitting).