Workload Control withholds orders from the shop floor in a backlog from which they are released to meet certain performance metrics. This release decision precedes the execution of orders at shop floor stations. For each station there are consequently three types of workload: indirect, released work that is still upstream of the station; direct, work that is currently at the station; and, completed, work that is still on the shop floor but is downstream of the station. Most release methods control an aggregate workload made up of some representation of at least two of these three workload types. Yet the core objective of Workload Control release methods relates to only one of the three types – that is, to create a small, stable direct load in front of each station. Clearly, order release would be greatly simplified if only the direct load had to be considered. Using discrete event simulation, we show that Direct Workload Control leads to performance levels that match those of more complex and sophisticated approaches to Workload Control. Further, it greatly simplifies continuous order release, decentralising the release decision by allowing it to be executed at each gateway station. This has important implications for research and practice.

Highlights

• Presents a new Workload Control release method that controls the direct load only.

• The new method significantly simplifies workload calculations.

• The new method can be decentralised with control exercised locally at gateway stations.

• Simulation results demonstrate comparable performance to more sophisticated methods.

• The new method improves the performance of large jobs.

工作负载控制将订单从车间保留在积压的订单中，从这些订单中释放它们以满足某些性能指标。该下达决定先于车间站点的订单执行。因此，对于每个站点，存在三种类型的工作量： 仍处于站点上游的间接、已释放的工作；直接的，目前在车站的工作；并且，完成了仍在车间但在车站下游的工作。大多数发布方法控制由这三种工作负载类型中的至少两种的某种表示组成的聚合工作负载。然而，Workload Control 发布方法的核心目标只涉及三种类型中的一种——即在每个站前创建一个小的、稳定的直接负载。清楚地，如果只考虑直接加载，订单发布将大大简化。使用离散事件模拟，我们展示了直接工作负载控制导致的性能水平与更复杂和复杂的工作负载控制方法相匹配。此外，它极大地简化了连续订单发布，通过允许在每个网关站执行发布决策来分散发布决策。这对研究和实践具有重要意义。

强调

• 提出了一种仅控制直接负载的新工作负载控制发布方法。

• 新方法显着简化了工作量计算。

• 新方法可以分散，在网关站进行本地控制。

• 模拟结果证明了与更复杂的方法相当的性能。

• 新方法提高了大型作业的性能。