Method and device for allocating assemblies to placement lines

An apparatus for controlling production of assemblies using a plurality of component fitting lines, the apparatus comprising:

• a unit for ascertaining an expected production time for each assembly type of the assemblies to be fitted with components and for each component fitting line taking into consideration a respective cycle time for the assembly type on the component fitting line and an expected number of items to be produced per assembly type, wherein an actual number of items to be produced arises according to a previously determinable probability distribution, wherein possible assignments of assemblies to component fitting lines are limited by at least one of the existing infrastructure and by user-defined presets;
• and
• a unit for computing the assignment of the assemblies to the component fitting lines by means of an optimization method, wherein the computing of the assignment is effected such that for probability distributions with respect to the expected production times per component fitting line that result from the probability distributions for the numbers of items, a sum of differences from the respective expected value of these resultant probability distributions is minimizable, wherein the sum of differences of the respective expected values is expressed as a variance within a time period based on a product of a square of the differences from the respective expected values, and wherein the computed assignment balances expected utilization levels of each of the plurality of component fitting lines;
• wherein the apparatus controls production of the assemblies using the computed assignment of the assemblies to the component fitting lines.