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PurposeA number of simulation studies were conducted by several researchers in order to compare performances of cellular and functional layouts. The methodologies used by these studies either present several objectivity lacks or are highly time‐consuming. The purpose of this paper is to propose a novel and objective methodology, based on the coupling of simulation and the Taguchi method.Design/methodology/approachSimulation models for both layouts are first developed. Simulations are then conducted following a standard Taguchi orthogonal array. Subsequently, the obtained results are analyzed using the analysis of variance technique. Finally, a mathematical model is built, and validated by the confirmation test.FindingsThe proposed comparison method permitted to obtain a valid mathematical model used to predict the superiority rank of the two layouts within the scope of the paper.Originality/valueThis paper presents a novel objective methodology for comparing functional and cellular layouts.

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