Models of Various Forms of Batching

Abstract

Grouping individual jobs into sets, called batches, is a strategy frequently used in industry. One cause of batching is for the purpose of transportation between workstations. For instance, workers may require mechanical help for moving heavy items between two machines. If the mechanical help is a large machine such as a forklift, then a pallet might be loaded first before a forklift truck is requested. Another form of batching occurs when items are batched by type for the purpose of sharing a machine setup step even though the items are actually processed individually.