Rule based workload control in semiconductor manufacturing revisited

An essential task in manufacturing planning and control is to determine when to release orders to the shop floor. A prominent approach is the workload control (WLC) concept which originated from the idea of controlling flow times by controlling order releases. Despite recent advances in rule based WLC models, the recent semiconductor literature has neglected them, although it has been shown that they outperform most other periodic and continuous order release models. Therefore, we adapt the most successful rule based WLC model, the LUMS-COR approach and compare it with two approaches from the semiconductor manufacturing literature: Starvation Avoidance (SA) and ConLOAD approach. We include three pool sequencing rules, namely First-Come First-Served (FCFS), Earliest Due Date (EDD) and Critical Ratio (CR). We analyse their performance using a simulation model of a scaled-down wafer fabrication facility. The results show that, in comparison to the other two order release approaches, the LUMS-COR model yields lower total costs due to a more balanced shop and better timing performance which is robust across different settings. This suggests that the adapted LUMS-COR model has high potential to become a viable alternative to the rule based order release mechanisms used in semiconductor industry to date.