The progress of assembly cell design from a conventional assembly system to a walking worker assembly cell

Many manufacturing plants are subjected to increased market demand for short product delivery lead times. In addition, shorter product life cycles and increased customization have reduced the chance of inventory holding to satisfy these conditions. That being the case, assembly cells are widely used in modern real life systems, since they provide an environment that can quickly manufacture, assemble and deliver small batches of customized products in a cost-effective manner. In this chapter, first the literature for assembly cells and walking worker assembly systems is reviewed. Then, a methodology for the conversion of conventional assembly systems to assembly cells is developed. Three different assembly cell configurations that lead to one-piece flow are designed and the initial configuration was implemented in a piezo igniter assembly system. The configurations are considered and compared under two different demand scenarios. Furthermore, the results of the implementation showed the obstacles and opportunities for such an overall conversion. The other two configurations will be implemented in near future.