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On the beat of the drum: improving the flow shop performance of the Drum–Buffer–Rope scheduling mechanism

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  • Matthias Thürer
  • Mark Stevenson

Abstract

One of the main elements of the theory of constraints is its Drum–Buffer–Rope (DBR) scheduling (or release) mechanism that controls the release of jobs to the system. Jobs are not released directly to the shop floor – they are withheld in a backlog and released in accordance with the output rate of the bottleneck (i.e. the drum). The sequence in which jobs are considered for release from the backlog is determined by the schedule of the drum, which also determines in which order jobs are processed or dispatched on the shop floor. In the DBR literature, the focus is on the urgency of jobs and the same procedure is used both for backlog sequencing and dispatching. In this study, we explore the potential of using different combinations of rules for sequencing and dispatching to improve DBR performance. Based on controlled simulation experiments in a pure and general flow shop we demonstrate that, although the original procedure works well in a pure flow shop, it becomes dysfunctional in a general flow shop where job routings vary. Performance can be significantly enhanced by switching from a focus on urgency to a focus on the shortest bottleneck processing time during periods of high load.

Suggested Citation

  • Matthias Thürer & Mark Stevenson, 2018. "On the beat of the drum: improving the flow shop performance of the Drum–Buffer–Rope scheduling mechanism," International Journal of Production Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 56(9), pages 3294-3305, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:tprsxx:v:56:y:2018:i:9:p:3294-3305
    DOI: 10.1080/00207543.2017.1401245
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    Cited by:

    1. Federica Costa & Kaustav Kundu & Matteo Rossini & Alberto Portioli-Staudacher, 2023. "Comparative study of bottleneck-based release models and load-based ones in a hybrid MTO-MTS flow shop: an assessment by simulation," Operations Management Research, Springer, vol. 16(1), pages 33-48, March.
    2. Fernando José Gómez Paredes & Moacir Godinho Filho & Matthias Thürer & Nuno O. Fernandes & Charbel José Chiappeta Jabbour, 2022. "Factors for choosing production control systems in make-to-order shops: a systematic literature review," Journal of Intelligent Manufacturing, Springer, vol. 33(3), pages 639-674, March.
    3. Pergher, Isaac & Frej, Eduarda Asfora & Roselli, Lucia Reis Peixoto & de Almeida, Adiel Teixeira, 2020. "Integrating simulation and FITradeoff method for scheduling rules selection in job-shop production systems," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 227(C).

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