Scania Assembly-Line Research
Exact optimisation certifies the line balance; simulation shows which balance actually performs once real-world variability arrives.
Research problem
On a multi-manned truck assembly line, the fastest mathematically feasible balance isn’t automatically the best operating point once task times vary and stations block each other.
Methodology
Exact CP-SAT optimisation certified the deterministic line balance. SimPy discrete-event simulation then tested how those balances perform with task-time variability and blocking, separating structural capacity from realised throughput and comparing static protection with a roaming-helper policy.
Main findings
The certified baseline reached 94.1% operator efficiency at a 299-second takt with 34 operators. Simulation found a higher-throughput operating region around 152 trucks a day, and the helper policy matched the protected static configuration with one fewer person.
Planning should turn complexity into action.
Open to Production Planner, Materials Planner, Production Controller and Supply Chain Planning roles in the UK.