Open Journal of Optimization, 2016, 5, 59-70 Published Online June 2016 in SciRes. http://www.scirp.org/journal/ojop http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/ojop.2016.52008 How to cite this paper: Unuigbe, A.I., Unuigbe, H.A., Aigboje, E.O. and Ehizibue, P.A. (2016) Assembly Line Balancing Using Fuzzy Logic: A Case Study of a Tricycle Assembly Line. Open Journal of Optimization, 5, 59-70. http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/ojop.2016.52008 Assembly Line Balancing Using Fuzzy Logic: A Case Study of a Tricycle Assembly Line Anthony I. Unuigbe 1* , Henry A. Unuigbe 2 , Eddy O. Aigboje 1 , Polycarp A. Ehizibue 1 1 Department of Industrial and Production Engineering, Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Nigeria 2 Lloyd’s Register EMEA (Nigeria) Ltd., Apapa, Nigeria Received 20 April 2016; accepted 12 June 2016; published 15 June 2016 Copyright © 2016 by authors and Scientific Research Publishing Inc. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution International License (CC BY). http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Abstract The application of fuzzy logic in balancing a single model tricycle assembly line is presented in this study. MATLAB simulation software was used in the analysis of the primary and secondary data obtained from the assembly line under study. Results obtained from the study show that the effi- ciency of the line increased from 88.1% to 92.4%. The total idle time was also reduced by 56.5%. This indicates an improvement in the efficiency of the line, reduction of bottleneck, and even dis- tribution of tasks along the line for the company under study. Keywords Line Balancing, Fuzzy Logic, Efficiency, Idle Time 1. Introduction The manufacturing Assembly Line was first introduced by Henry Ford in the early 1900’s. It was designed to be an efficient and highly productive way of manufacturing a particular product. The basic assembly line consists of a set of work stations arranged in a linear version with each station connected by a material handling device. The basic movement of material through an assembly line begins with a part being fed into the first station at a predetermined feed rate. A station is considered at any point on the assembly line in which a task is performed on the part. These parts can be performed by machinery, robots and/or human workers. Once the part enters a station, a task is then performed on the part, and the part is fed to the next operation. The time it takes to com- plete a task at each operation is known as the process time [1]. One of the main issues concerning the development of an Assembly Line is how to arrange the task to be performed. This arrangement may be some times subjective but has to be dictated by implied rules, set forth by * Corresponding author.