Empirical findings on manufacturing cell design

Cell design is the most researched topic in the area of cellular manufactur ing. The preponderance of studies has focused on the development of models to assist with cell formation, i.e. the initial stage in the cell design pr ocess where the parts and equipment are determined. On the other hand, fair ly little is known about the broader context in which cell design takes pla ce, and the processes that users follow. The purpose of this study was to l earn more about the methods, goals, considerations, and constraints that in dustrial users apply to cell formation and cell layout, as well as the actu al outcomes of those processes (such as cell configurations and staffing pa tterns). This paper adds to the sparse literature on empirical cell design by reporting on findings derived from a survey study of cell users predomin antly drawn from the metalworking industry (related data have previously be en published in Wemmerlov and Johnson (1997)). Supporting evidence is prima rily taken from survey and field studies by Wemmerlov and Hyer (1989), Harv ey (1993), Choi (1996), Suri et nl. (1996), Olorunniwo and Udo (1996), Mars h et nl. (1998), Johnson (1998), and Hyer and Brown (1999). The findings sh ould be of interest to both students and practitioners of cellular manufact uring, and could serve as guidance for researchers seeking to develop more effective methodologies for solving the cell design problem for industrial users.