Designing a Simulink model for a mixed model stochastic assembly line : A case study using a water bottling plant

As the world is moving into the 4th Industrial revolution, commonly referred to as Industry 4.0, mass production is giving way to mass customization. This shift necessitates a change in the design of the assembly line with flexibility and multi variant manufacturing taking precedence. These kind of assembly lines that can manufacture multiple models without a predetermined manufacturing time are referred to as mixed model stochastic assembly lines. This paper looks at how such a mixed model stochastic assembly line can be modelled. This is done by taking the case study of a water bottling plant that is being developed at the university where this research is conducted. The water bottling plant needs to produce 500 ml and 750 ml bottles of clean drinking water which can be used within the university or be sold externally. The primary aim of this paper is to develop a MATLAB model for the water bottling plant and study the results from the simulations. These results will shed light on how the model can be optimized thereby contribute to the niche area of Mixed Model Stochastic Assembly Line Balancing.