Here are the basics. Suppose a line has two workstations, A and B. Operations W, X, Y, and Z must be done in order. These operations take 6, 5, 7, and 3 minutes respectively. Assigning W to A and the other 3 to B will unbalance the line -- workstation A will have a 6-minute cycle time and workstation B a 15-minute cycle time. Rearranging the work to do W and X at A, then Y and Z at B, will create cycle times of 11 and 10 minutes at A and B respectively. That is much better line balance.
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E. Williams, PMC
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