The Balance Delay Problem

Balance delay time is the amount of idle time on production assembly lines caused by the uneven division of work among operators or stations. It is related to the extent and way the total task is subdivided. In this paper the problem of balance delay is treated empirically and analytically. Empirical studies show that high balance delay is associated with a wide range of work-element times and a high degree of line mechanization. The analytical study yields a general algebraic method of minimizing balance delay by the appropriate choice of cycle times. Balance delay functions are drawn and the condition of perfect balance is shown to coincide with the zero points of these functions.