Cell Formation in Cell Manufacturing Systems: Review and Evaluation for Future Research

Production efficiency and the ability to respond rapidly to customer demands are critical to maintaining competitiveness in contemporary manufacturing environments. In this context, cellular manufacturing systems (CMS) have gained attention as a production strategy that combines the advantages of mass production with flexibility. CMS aim to improve production efficiency by forming part families and machine groups, reducing waiting times, transportation requirements, and labor requirements, and enabling products to be manufactured rapidly and cost-effectively. This study presents a systematic review of 30 research articles on CMS published between 2015 and 2023 and indexed in the Scopus and Web of Science databases. The selected studies were evaluated and classified according to their objective functions, solution methods, cell formation methods, numbers of cells, transportation costs, maintenance costs, cell layouts, operation sequences, alternative process routes, grouping approaches, labor considerations, and demand or production volume. The studies were also categorized into four main categories of cell formation methods, and the development of these methods is presented.