Flexible takt times through overlapping zones: an assessment by simulation
用离散事件仿真评估了三种灵活节拍时间方法（限制重叠、自由重叠、完全重叠），发现结合传递的旋转单元（兔子追逐）表现最佳，并分析了交接、空闲、阻塞和运输时间的动态交互。
Most production lines in practice rely on some form of output control since realised cycle times fluctuate. One simple yet effective approach is flexible takt times. Since takt times are distributed over the whole production cycle, flexible takt times require an overlap of work (and thus time) zones. There are arguably three main approaches: restricted zones of overlap, free zones of overlap, and complete overlap. The first is known as variable takt, the second as bucket brigade or baton zone bumping, and the last as rotating seru or rabbit chase. This study assesses the different approaches for the first time using discrete event simulation. Results show that combining rotating seru with passing leads to the best performance in our simulated environment. An in-depth analysis further indicates a dynamic interplay of hand-off, idle, blocking and transport time that explains performance results. Findings have major implications for practice and future research.