Line balancing is a critical optimization problem in assembly lines and work cells aimed at enhancing throughput while reducing costs and manpower. It involves assigning operations to workstations to ensure a smooth production flow, addressing bottlenecks, and maximizing resource utilization. The document discusses the importance of line balancing in the apparel industry, outlining strategies for efficient production, the impact on costs and quality, and challenges associated with balancing production lines.

1. Line Balancing
Introduction-
Line and work cell balancing is an effective tool to improve the throughput of
assembly lines and work cells while reducing manpower requirements and costs.
Assembly Line Balancing or simply Line Balancing (LB) is the problem of
assigning operations to workstations along an assembly line, in such a way that the
assignment be optimal in some sense. LB has been an optimization problem of
significant industrial importance: the efficiency difference between an optimal and
a sub-optimal assignment can yield economies (or waste) reaching millions of
dollars per year.
LB is a classic Operations Research (OR) optimization problem, having been
tackled by OR over several decades. Many algorithms have been proposedfor the
problem. Yet despite the practical importance of the problem, and the OR efforts
that have been made to tackle it, little commercially available software is available
to help industry in optimizing their lines.
Line Balancing is leveling the workload across all processesin a cell or value
stream to remove bottlenecks and excess capacity. A constraint slows the process
down and results if waiting for downstream operations and excess capacity results
in waiting and absorptionof fixed costs.
LINE BALANCING (ProcessOrganization)-
The Line Balancing is “to design a smooth productionflow by allotting processes
to workers so as to allow each worker to complete the allotted workload within an
even time” It is a system where we meet the production expectations and we can
find the same amount of work in process in every operation at any point in the day
Howdo we start balancing the production line?
Well we can start by determining how many operators for each operation are
needed for a determined level of production. After this we need to determine how
much WIP we need to anticipate production problems. Recommended WIP is 1-

2. hour inventory level for each operation. A good range would be from 30 min to
120 min inventory level.
Line Balancing in apparel industry-
It is the allocation of sewing machine, according to style and design of the
garments. It depends on what types of garments we have to produce. It is done to
increasing productivity.
When you consider mass production, garments are produced in lines or set of
machines instead of single machine. A line may be assembly line, modular line or
section, a line set with online finishing and packing. A line includes multiple work
stations with varied work contents. Productionper hour is varied depending on
work content (standard minutes of particular task/operation), allocation of total
manpower to a particular operation, operator skill level and machine capacity.
Operation with lowest productionper hour is called as bottleneck operation for that
line.
ObjectivesofLine Balancing
Match the productionrate after all wastes have been removed to the talk time at
each process ofthe value stream.
1. Regular material flow.
2. Maximum uses of man power and machine capacity.
3. Minimum process time.
4. Minimizing slack time.
5. Minimizing workstation.
Maximum output at the desiredtime.
1. Quality maintenance of the garment.

3. 2. Reduce productioncost.
3. Importance of Line Balancing
4. Line balancing helps to know about new machine required for new style.
5. It becomes easier to distribute particular job to each operator.
6. It becomes possible to deliver goods at right time at the agreed quality for
list cost.
7. Good line balancing increase the rate of production.
8. Line balancing helps to compare the required machinery with the existing
one and compare balance.
9. It also helps in the determination of labor requirement.
10.Good balancing reduces production time.
11.Profit of a factory can be ensured by properline balancing.
12.Properline balancing ensured optimum production at the agreed quality.
13.It reduces faults in the finished product.
Example of Line Balancing
1. Machine layout with actual production.
>Process#1. Production40 pieces by 1 machine end production40 pieces.
>Process#2. Production45 pieces by 1 machine end production40 pieces.
>Process#3. Production75 pieces by 1 machine end production40 pieces.
>Process#4. Production80 pieces by 1 machine end production40 pieces.
>Process#5. Production50 pieces by 1 machine end production40 pieces.
Output: 40pices/hour.
Analysis: Insufficient production due to lack of supply.
2. Machine layout for balancing production.
Analysis: Action plan for further development.

4. Replace skilled or experienced operator for process#3, then productionwill
increase, when productionwill be 80pices/hour. Then same target 90pices for
process1, 3 & 4 and research on it, how production can be increased. The
following action can be done.
Limitations of Line Balancing
Production lines were designed so that conveyor belts paced the speed of the
employees‟ work. This arrangement wasn't appreciated by the employees.
Inevitable changes lead to production lines being out of balance.
Rebalancing causes disruptions to production
Ankur shukla
Apparel Production Management (2-sem)
Production Technology
Resource-Readmore:http://textilelearner.blogspot.com/2013/09/line-balancing-in-apparel-
production.html#ixzz3ZqNMnEav.