This　paper　presents　a　hierarchical　heuristic　to　balance　the　workloads　among　multiple　identical　high-speed　revolver-head　gantry-type　surface　mount　technology　(SMT)　machines　in　a　printed　circuit　board　(PCB)　assembly　line.　The　nozzle　assignment,　the　component　allocation,　and　the　single　machine　optimization　decisions　are　made　with　the　objective　of　minimizing　the　assembly　cycle　time.　An　integer　programming　mathematical　model　is　developed,　and　a　deterministic　hierarchical　heuristic　algorithm　is　proposed　to　solve　this　NP-hard　problem　efficiently.　The　experiment　results　show　that　the　proposed　heuristic　algorithm　reduces　the　cycle　time　by　6.94%　on　average　compared　to　the　industrial　solutions.　©　2017　The　Authors