This thesis studies the design and control of serial lines using Dynamic Line Balancing (DLB). DLB consists of shifting the amount of work from one workcenter to another, while the line is working, to smooth the production process. The function of inventory between workcenters is replaced in part by the ability of the workcenters to share part of the work. Dynamic rules control, in real time, which workcenter performs which task to maintain balance. This research focuses on the design characteristics of serial lines that allow DLB to work well and explores dynamic rules to improve the efficiency of the line.;Dynamic Line Balancing and the dynamic rule SPT-RSPT are found to significantly improve the efficiency of a serial line. DLB allows a serial line to achieve an efficiency close to 100% with low WIP. The dynamic rule SPT-RSPT is simple to understand and easy to implement. DLB provides some flexibility to design a line without the constraint to be strictly balanced a priori. DLB may be particularly suitable for manual assembly lines.;The problem is formulated as a serial line where only consecutive workcenters can share work. Dynamic Line Balancing is defined, and dynamic rules are classified. General characteristics of this problem are analyzed. A particular case of a two-workcenter line is studied as a Markov chain. Closed-form formulas are derived for the efficiency of the line. A more general two-workcenter line is analyzed as a Markov chain, and exact results for the efficiency are found, but no closed-form formulas are derived. In Chapter 4, lines with more than two workcenters are studied using simulation. In all cases a particular dynamic rule, SPT-RSPT (defined in Chapter 3) is analyzed and found to be very effective. Other rules are also explored.
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