Electronic component mounting method

An electronic component mounting method comprising:

• setting a portion of electronic component mounters as independent production mounters and a remaining portion of the electronic component mounters as second lane dedicated mounters;
• deciding initial estimation conditions by provisionally setting all the electronic component mounters as the independent production mounters;
• allocating mounting of a first set of electronic components on a first board to a first mounting head of one of the independent production mounters;
• allocating mounting of a second set of electronic components on a second board to a second mounting head of the one of the independent production mounters and to a first mounting head and a second mounting head of one of the second lane dedicated mounters,
• the electronic component mounting method being a method in which at least one of a component quantity or component types are different for the first set of electronic components to be mounted on the first board and the second set of electronic components to be mounted on the second board, and using an electronic component mounting system in which the electronic component mounters are arranged in series with respective first conveyance lanes of the electronic component mounters connected in series and respective second conveyance lanes of the electronic component mounters connected in series, the electronic component mounters each including a board conveyance device including the first conveyance lane that loads and unloads the first board and the second conveyance lane that loads and unloads the second board,
• the first mounting head, provided adjacent to the first conveyance lane, configured to mount the first set of electronic components on the first board loaded on the first conveyance lane and to mount the second set of electronic components on the second board loaded on the second conveyance lane, and
• the second mounting head, provided adjacent to the second conveyance lane, configured to mount the first set of electronic components on the first board loaded on the first conveyance lane and to mount the second set of electronic components on the second board loaded on the second conveyance lane;
• determining whether a first production required time obtained by multiplying a first lane cycle time by a first production quantity, and a second production required time obtained by multiplying a second lane cycle time by a second production quantity are approximately the same,
• while the first production required time is smaller than the second production required time, changing the initial estimation conditions to a changed estimation condition by changing settings so as to allocate one of the independent production mounters at that point as the second lane dedicated mounter;
• and
• when the first production required time becomes larger than or substantially the same as the second production required time, allocates the multiple component mounters as the independent production mounters and the second lane dedicated mounters based on the changed estimation conditions.