Probabilistic Approach To Modular Assembly

Modular assembly is a common practice in many industries. The main motivation is to reduce assembly costs, improve reliability, reduce assembly time, and improve logistics and inventory management. The paper presents a methodology for assembly modularization that considers the probability for success of each assembly operation, as well as it cost. It shows that for any given assembly sequence, the expected cost is reduced when the assembly operations are divided evenly among the subassemblies. It also shows that when the process constraints require more operations in the initial subassemblies, it is recommended to sequence the operations in descending order.