Selecting material supply systems according to assembly organization and material type

Rising market volatility and the high diversity of variances causes the necessity for flexible assembly lines. This results in an increase of possibilities to design this area and leads, combined with an increased number of provided materials, to a risen complexity in material supply. In practice, the planning of material supply often occurs intuitively or through development of case-specific solutions. Thus, it is necessary to develop a systematic approach in order to support the choice between alternative material supply systems which suits the particular conditions in the company. This article presents an approach that allows to choose adequate material supply systems dependent on the assembly design and provided materials. © Carl Hanser Verlag, München.