Abstract: With transit time of the in-between processes considered, a detailed algorithm procedure for the system design of batch processing modes in processing-assembly enterprise is presented. With this algorithm procedure, a software system is developed. The software system is able to generate a Gantt chart of processing and handling a batch of parts based on three kinds of transfer modes. Meanwhile, it is capable of yielding useful information, such as production cycle, the number of times that a batch of parts are handled, the number of parts for each handling process, start time and end time of handling (including the earliest and latest), start time and end time of processing, and so on. The decision-makers can effectively decide whether the existing production system can produce goods whose delivery time can meet custome‘s requirement by using the information of production cycle without cell reconstruction for the production system. Furthermore, decision-makers can schedule the processing tasks of the batch parts, together with another batch. We finally construct a 0-1 programming model according to the system data. This model can obtain a solution with the least number of material movements for the in-between processes.

Key words: transit time, batch processing modes, production cycle, 0-1 programming model