Manufacturers of consumer goods nowadays have to cope with an enormous product variety, which is to be produced on their assembly systems. Car manufacturer BMW for example, offers its automobiles in 1032 theoretically possible variations. A sophisticated production planning is essential, so that the market benefits of a diversified product portfolio are not spoiled by inefficient production processes. A critical issue in this context is the short-term sequencing, determining the order in which models are processed on the assembly system. As part of the "Toyota Production System" the so called level-scheduling has established, which aims at evenly smoothing the material requirements induced by the production sequence over time, so that a just-in-time supply of material is enabled and inventories are minimized. This paper provides a systematic overview on the wide range of publications on level scheduling and controversially discusses its appropriateness for practical applications. © Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien, Austria 2007.
