Showing papers in "International Journal of Production Research in 1998"
TL;DR: In an attempt to improve the design of products and reduce design changes, cost, and time to market, concurrent engineering or life cycle engineering has emerged as an effective approach to addressing these issues in today's competitive global market as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: In an attempt to improve the design of products and reduce design changes, cost, and time to market, concurrent engineering or life cycle engineering has emerged as an effective approach to addressing these issues in today's competitive global market. As over 70% of the total life cycle cost of a product is committed at the early design stage, designers are in a position to substantially reduce the life cycle cost of the products they design, by giving due consideration to life cycle cost implications of their design decisions. Increasing recognition of cost competition has spurred the development of methodologies such as design for manufacturability, design for assembly (DFA), design for producibility, design for maintainability and design for quality, in the design for 'X' realm. Although these methodologies have for the most part proven successful in reducing cost, the design evaluation criterion in most of these methodologies is not cost. Therefore methodologies and tools are needed to directly provid...
637Â citations
TL;DR: Agile manufacturing as discussed by the authors is defined as the capability to survive and prosper in a competitive environment of continuous and unpredictable change by reacting quickly and effectively to changing markets, driven by customer-designed products and services.
Abstract: Tougher competitive situations have led to increasing attention being paid to customer satisfaction, of which timely and customized services are the key concepts. As the product life cycle becomes shortened, high product quality becomes necessary for survival. Markets become highly diversified and global, and continuous and unexpected change become the key factors for success. The need for a method of rapidly and cost-effectively developing products, production facilities and supporting software, including design, process planning and shop floor control system has led to the concept of agile manufacturing. Agile manufacturing can be defined as the capability to survive and prosper in a competitive environment of continuous and unpredictable change by reacting quickly and effectively to changing markets, driven by customer-designed products and services. This article details the key concepts and enablers of agile manufacturing. The key enablers of agile manufacturing include: (i) virtual enterprise formati...
594Â citations
TL;DR: In this paper, an attempt is made to classify the vast literature regarding manufacturing flexibility; the aim is to contribute to the conceptual systemization of the debate, whose richness plays witness of the abundance of themes and the difficulty of obtaining a unitary and univocal framework.
Abstract: In this article an attempt is made to classify the vast literature regarding manufacturing flexibility; the aim is to contribute to the conceptual systemization of the debate, whose richness plays witness of the abundance of themes and the difficulty of obtaining a unitary and univocal framework. The literature on manufacturing flexibility is analysed according to a scheme which considers six different aspects: (1) definition of flexibility, (2) request for flexibility, (3) classification in dimensions of flexibility (the authors group the various classifications proposed according to different logics: horizontal, vertical, temporal, by the object of the variation, mixed), (4) measurement of flexibility, (5) choices for flexibility, (6) interpretation of flexibility.
518Â citations
TL;DR: A novel approach for analysing customer attributes and projecting them into the relevant design, engineering and product attributes in order to facilitate decision-making and to guide downstream manufacturing planning and control activities is put forward.
Abstract: Aligning its quality initiatives in synchronization with the customer's perception of values is one of the key management strategies for improving the competitive edge of an organization. Therefore, it will be a distinct advantage if one can succeed in effectively capturing the genuine and major customer attributes (requirements), systematically analysing and duly transforming them into the appropriate product attributes (features). This paper puts forward a novel approach for analysing customer attributes and projecting them into the relevant design, engineering and product attributes in order to facilitate decision-making and to guide downstream manufacturing planning and control activities. The proposed hybrid system incorporates the principles of quality function deployment, analytic hierarchy process and fuzzy set theory to tackle the complex and often imprecise problem domain encountered in customer requirement management. It offers an analytical and intelligent tool for decoding, prioritizing and i...
214Â citations
TL;DR: In this article, a comprehensive model is presented, which determines an optimal product recovery and disposal strategy for one product type, taking into account technical, commercial and ecological criteria as well as uncertainty on these criteria due to lack of information, in particular regarding the quality level.
Abstract: The introduction of extended producer responsibility makes original equipment manufacturers formally responsible for take-back, recovery and reuse of discarded products. One of their key problems is to determine to what extent return products must be disassembled and which recovery and disposal options should be applied. On a tactical management level, this involves anticipating problems like meeting (legislative) recovery targets, limited secondary end markets and investments in recycling infrastructure. In this paper, a comprehensive model is presented, which determines an optimal product recovery and disposal strategy for one product type. The objective function takes into account technical, commercial and ecological criteria as well as uncertainty on these criteria due to lack of information, in particular regarding the quality level. Optimization is done on overall net profit and occurs using a two-phased DPalgorithm. The applicability of the model is shown in a case study.
204Â citations
TL;DR: In this article, the expected travel distance for different routing strategies in low-level pick-to-part systems is evaluated and compared, and analytical models are derived which relate the expected traveling distance required to fill an order to the main system parameters (i.e., the COI-based ABC curve; the number of picks in a tour; number, length and width of aisles).
Abstract: The paper evaluates and compares the expected travel distance for different routing strategies- namely traversal and return policies in low-level pickerto-part systems. Items are assigned to storage locations on the basis of the ratio of the required space to the order frequency (cube-per-order index or COI). The focus is on narrow-aisle systems, in which the distance travelled crossing the aisle from one side to the other is negligible compared to the distance travelled along the centreline of the aisle. For both routing policies, an efficient COI-based stock location assignment strategy is first developed. Second, analytical models are derived which relate the expected travel distance required to fill an order to the main system parameters (i.e. the COI-based ABC curve; the number of picks in a tour; the number, length and width of aisles). Simulation results confirming the accuracy of the analytical models are presented. Finally, preference regions as a function of the number of picks in a tour and dif...
195Â citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a Simulated Annealing-based technique was used to address the assembly line balancing problem for multiple objective problems when paralleling of workstations is permitted, and the resulting performance of each solution was studied through a simulation experiment.
Abstract: This research presents a Simulated Annealing based technique to address the assembly line balancing problem for multiple objective problems when paralleling of workstations is permitted. The Simulated Annealing methodology is used for 23 line balancing strategies across seven problems. The resulting performance of each solution was studied through a simulation experiment. Many of the problems consisted of multiple products, which were sequenced in a mixed model fashion, task times were assumed to be stochastic, and parallel workstations were permitted. Two primary performance objectives were of most interest: total cost (labour and equipment) per part, and the degree to which the desired cycle time was achieved. Other traditional line balancing and production performance measures were also collected. This paper demonstrates how Simulated Annealing can be used to obtain line balancing solutions when one or more objectives are important. The experimental results showed that Simulated Annealing approaches yi...
191Â citations
TL;DR: A new similarity measure is defined for cell-formation and appropriate measures of performance for evaluating solutions are introduced and a clustering approach of the non-hierarchical type is proposed.
Abstract: Cellular manufacturing is a well-known strategy for reducing lead times in batch production systems. Most of the methods of cell formation are based on machinecomponent incidence alone. However, other factors such as production sequence and product volumes, if incorporated, can enhance the quality of the solutions. This study uses sequence data for cell-formation. A new similarity measure is defined for this purpose and appropriate measures of performance for evaluating solutions are introduced. A clustering approach of the non-hierarchical type is proposed. With new seeding techniques, the proposed algorithm clusters machines and components on the basis of sequence data. The algorithm gives encouraging results when applied to sample problems.
177Â citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a systematic procedure of generating an optimal disassembly sequence based on maximizing the profits of material recovery is presented, which aims to improve the efficiency of the disassembly planning process and to generate a sequence which maximizes profit.
Abstract: This paper introduced a procedure which integrates economical factors into the scheduling of disassembly operations for Material Recovery Opportunities (MRO). MRO are defined as opportunities to reclaim post-consumer products for recycling, remanufacturing and reuse. Traditionally, recyclers have resorted to using heuristics for analysing the breakdown of products and the associated costs. In this paper, a quantitative method of disassembly analysis is developed. Its aim is to improve the efficiency of the disassembly planning process and to generate an optimal disassembly sequence which maximizes profit. Three economic indices are used to evaluate the trade-off between reclamation and disposal of individual components. A systematic procedure of generating an optimal disassembly sequence based on maximizing the profits of material recovery is presented. Three criteria are established to reduce the search space and facilitate recovery opportunities: (1) material compatibility, (2) clustering for disposal, ...
152Â citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined firms' operational quality approaches, supplier evaluation practices, and supply base management activities, and related these strategic initiatives to firm performance, and found that quality management and SBM techniques and tools must be implemented conjointly to achieve superior financial and business performance.
Abstract: Over the past ten years, both total quality management and supply base management have become significant strategic tools for firms that are striving to achieve competitive success. This study examines firms' operational quality approaches, supplier evaluation practices, and supply base management activities, and relates these strategic initiatives to firm performance. Hypotheses were tested through the use of bivariate correlation, factor analysis and multiple regression analysis of survey data from a cross-industry sample of quality directors and vice presidents in US firms. While many strategic quality approaches and supply base management tools are positively correlated with firm performance, our results show that quality management and supply base management techniques and tools must be implemented conjointly to achieve superior financial and business performance. The implication is that managers must seek to integrate the activities of quality assurance with those of purchasing and materials management.
150Â citations
TL;DR: This paper improves and extend a previous research on simulation-based real-time scheduling by suggesting a more systematic framework for the scheduling mechanism through refinement of functions of modules in the mechanism, and by presenting and analysing various scheduling strategies used to operate the mechanism.
Abstract: This paper presents a real-time scheduling methodology which uses simulation and dispatching rules for flexible manufacturing systems. We develop a scheduling mechanism in which job dispatching rules vary dynamically based on information from discrete event simulation that is used for evaluating candidate dispatching rules. In this paper, we improve and extend a previous research on simulation-based real-time scheduling by suggesting a more systematic framework for the scheduling mechanism through refinement of functions of modules in the mechanism, and by presenting and analysing various scheduling strategies used to operate the mechanism. The strategies are formed by combining two factors that might influence the performance of the mechanism: type of simulation model which is used in the mechanism and points of time when new dispatching rules are selected. In order to compare performance of the scheduling strategies, computational experiments are performed and results are reported.
TL;DR: In this article, a simple adaptive production control method for setting WIP levels to meet target production rates in a pull production operating under the CONWIP (Constant work in process) protocol is developed.
Abstract: We develop a simple adaptive production control method for setting WIP levels to meet target production rates in a pull production operating under the CONWIP (Constant work in process) protocol. This method, termed Statistical Throughput Control (STC), uses real-time data to automatically adjust WIP levels (via kanban cards) in the face of noisy estimates of throughput. Because STC does not rely on a steady-state model, it is well-suited to systems subject to environmental changes such as those induced by continuous improvement efforts. Using simulation, we demonstrate the effectivness of STC under a variety of conditions, including single and multiple products, simple flow lines, routeings with shared resources and assembly systems.
TL;DR: In this article, a genetic algorithm-based model for facility layout is presented, where the layout of departments consisting of finite elements is modelled in gene structures and better and better solutions that satisfy multiple objectives are produced by employing genetic operations to these genes.
Abstract: This paper presents a genetic algorithm-based model for facility layout. Layout of departments consisting of finite elements is modelled in gene structures. Better and better solutions that satisfy multiple objectives are produced by employing genetic operations to these genes. Better quality layouts are obtained by this method on the test problems available in the literature. These results show the potential for solving complex facility layout problems.
TL;DR: In this article, a model of the mixed-model U-line balancing (MMULB) problem is developed and an approximate solution algorithm is presented, and an illustrative example is worked.
Abstract: Many manufacturers are switching their production lines from single product or batch production to mixed-model production, often as a consequence of implementing just-in-time (JIT) principles into their operations. In mixed-model production, different products or models are produced on the same line with the models interspersed throughout a production sequence. This helps manufacturers provide their customers with a variety of products in a timely and cost-effective manner. The mixed-model U-line balancing (MMULB) problem assigns the tasks required to produce all models to a minimum number of stations on a U-shaped line. U-lines are widely used and well-suited to mixed-model production. A model of the MMULB problem is developed in this paper. The problem is NP-hard. An approximate solution algorithm is presented, and an illustrative example is worked. Areas where more research is needed are identified.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors consider practical aspects of building and validating neural network models of manufacturing processes, and illustrate the recommended approaches with two diverse case studies with two case studies.
Abstract: Neural networks are beginning to be used for the modelling of complex manufacturing processes, usually for process and quality control. Often these models are used to identify optimal process settings. Since a neural network is an empirical model, it is highly dependent on the data used in construction and validation. Using data directly from production ensures availability and fidelity, however, the samples may not reflect the entire range of probable operation and, in particular, may not include the optimal process settings. Supplementing production data with observations gathered from designed experiments alleviates the problem of overly focused or incomplete production data sets. This paper considers practical aspects of building and validating neural network models of manufacturing processes, and illustrates the recommended approaches with two diverse case studies.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors developed a Shewhart-type control chart to deal with multivariate attribute processes, which is called the multivariate np chart (MNP chart), which uses the weighted sum of the counts of nonconforming units with respect to all the quality characteristics as the plotted statistics.
Abstract: Many industrial processes are multivariate in nature since the quality of a product depends on more than one variable. Multivariate control procedures can be used to capture the relationship between the variables and to provide more sensitive control than that provided by the application of univariate control procedures on each variable. Much has been done on the multivariate variable processes, such as embodied in control procedures based on Hotelling's T 2 statistic. However, little work has been done to deal with the control of multivariate attribute processes, which is very important in practical production processes. In this paper, we develop a Shewhart-type control chart to deal with multivariate attribute processes, which is called the multivariate np chart (MNP chart). The control chart uses the weighted sum of the counts of nonconforming units with respect to all the quality characteristics as the plotted statistics. It enhances the efficiency of identifying the critical assignable cause when an ...
TL;DR: In this article, the effects of scheduling rules on the performance of flexible manufacturing systems (FMSs) were examined using a simulation model and several machine and AGV scheduling rules were tested against the mean flowtime criterion.
Abstract: This study examines the effects of scheduling rules on the performance of flexible manufacturing systems (FMSs). Several machine and AGV scheduling rules are tested against the mean flowtime criterion. In general, scheduling rules are widely used in practice ranging from direct applications as a stand-alone scheduling scheme to indirect application as a part of complicated scheduling systems. In this paper, we compare the rules under various experimental conditions by using an FMS simulation model. Our objective is to measure sensitivity of the rules to changes in processing time distributions, various levels of breakdown rates, and types of AGV priority schemes. A comprehensive bibliography is also presented in the paper.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors formulated the cell formation problem as a traveling salesman problem (TSP) and proposed a solution methodology based on genetic algorithms (GAs) to solve the TSP-cell formation problem.
Abstract: Cellular manufacturing has been proposed as a layout approach to improve manufacturing efficiency and productivity. In implementing cellular manufacturing, parts are grouped into part families based on their similarity in manufacturing, and machines are grouped into machine cells to reduce intercellular movement of parts. To model the cellular manufacturing problem, a machinepart incidence matrix is often used. A cell formation algorithm must produce machine cells and associated part families to minimize intercellular movement of parts. In this paper, the cell formation problem is formulated as a travelling salesman problem (TSP) and a solution methodology based on genetic algorithms (GAs) is proposed to solve the TSP-cell formation problem. The proposed algorithm is compared very favourably to a well-known algorithm available in the literature.
TL;DR: In this article, a mixed integer programming formulation for the facility layout problem is adapted and heuristically solved in order to minimize the material flow costs between cells in a flexible manufacturing system.
Abstract: The flexible manufacturing system (FMS) facility layout problem (FLP) involves the positioning of cells within a given area so as to minimize the material flow costs between cells. The FLP design includes specifying the spatial coordinates of each cell, the orientation of each cell in either a horizontal or vertical position, and the position of each cell's pickup and dropoff points. The layout design problem is both tactically and strategically important since the layout plays a large role in determining the efficiency and flexibility of the system. The FMS layout problem differs from traditional layout problems in that there are additional constraints on a cell's shape and orientation and the location of the pickup/ dropoff points must be determined. A mixed integer programming formulation for the FLP developed by Das (1993) is adapted and heuristically solved in this paper. Because of the NP-hard nature of the solution space, a genetic algorithm based decomposition strategy is proposed and computationa...
TL;DR: The design and management of manufacturing resources planning (MRP) systems is becoming more and more important for manufacturing firms especially in this ever-increasing competitive marketplace as mentioned in this paper, and an effective MRP system can give substantial competitive advantages to a company in its markets.
Abstract: The design and management of manufacturing resources planning (MRP) systems is becoming more and more important for manufacturing firms especially in this ever-increasing competitive marketplace. An effective MRP system can give substantial competitive advantages to a company in its markets. However, markets, competitive pressure, and technology all change over time. Improving MRP system performance is required from time to time in order to allow the company to stay competitive in the marketplace. The study of MRP performance has received a lot of attention since the increased usage of computers by MRP practitioners, and the literature on the subject is vast. In this paper, important parameters which affect the effectiveness of MRP systems are reviewed. The limitations of previous research and future research directions will also be discussed. Note : MRP and MRPII are commonly used to represent manufacturing resources planning. However, MRP has received wide acceptance by practitioners in industry, as a r...
TL;DR: In this article, a three-state adaptive sample size control chart is developed and its performance is compared with the standard Shewhart control chart and a two-state Adaptive Sample Size Control chart.
Abstract: A three-state adaptive sample size control chart is developed and its performance is compared with the standard Shewhart control chart and a two-state adaptive sample size control chart. In general, significant improvements in shift detection capability results from using an adaptive sample size control chart, and the threestate adaptive control chart is superior to the two-state adaptive control for small shifts in the process mean. The improvements found in the two-state and threestate adaptive control chart schemes are gained without increasing the average incontrol sample size over the standard non-adaptive Shewhart control chart. The three-state procedure is only slightly better than the two-state scheme, and so the two-state scheme is likely adequate in most applications. The three process monitoring techniques are compared using both steady-state and start-up cases.
TL;DR: Major contributions in solving PiG using a Hopfield neural network, as well as applications of back-error propagation to general scheduling problems are presented.
Abstract: Complete enumeration of all sequences to establish global optimality is not feasible as the search space; for a general job-shop scheduling problem,PiG has an upper bound of (n!)m. Since the early fifties a great deal of research attention has been focused on solving PiG , resulting in a wide variety of approaches such as branch and bound, simulated annealing, tabu search, etc. However, limited success has been achieved by these methods due to the shear intractability of this generic scheduling problem. Recently, much effort has been concentrated on using neural networks to solve PiG as they are capable of adapting to new environments with little human intervention and can mimic thought processes. Major contributions in solving PiG using a Hopfield neural network, as well as applications of back-error propagation to general scheduling problems are presented. To overcome the deficiencies in these applications a modified back-error propagation model, a simple yet powerful architecture which can be successfu...
TL;DR: In this article, the required number of AGVs necessary to perform a given level of material handling task in an FMS environment is determined using analytical and simulation modelling, which involves consideration of load handling time, empty travel time, and waiting and blocking time.
Abstract: The required number of AGVs necessary to perform a given level of material handling task in an FMS environment is determined using analytical and simulation modelling. The analytical method involves consideration of load handling time, empty travel time, and waiting and blocking time. Load handling time is computed from given system parameters. Determination of empty vehicle travel is difficult due to the inherent randomness of an FMS. Several research studies for this purpose are discussed and a new model is proposed. It entails formulation of a mixed integer programme with an objective of minimizing empty trips. The constraints are in the form of upper and lower bounds placed on the total number of empty trips starting from or ending at a load transfer station. The phenomena of vehicle waiting and blocking are also discussed. The cumulative impact of these three time estimates are then translated into an initial estimate of AGV fleet size as predicted by individual models. The method is applied to an il...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present a design method for allocating dimensional tolerances of products with asymmetric quality losses, including adjustment of manufacturing target and the approach of robust tolerance design, based on the balance between manufacture cost and quality loss expected.
Abstract: This paper presents a design method for allocating dimensional tolerances of products with asymmetric quality losses. The design strategies proposed include the adjustment of manufacturing target and the approach of robust tolerance design. The average quality losses of batch products are computed differently in accordance with the distribution of functional characteristics. The robust tolerance design is based on the balance between manufacture cost and quality loss expected. An illustrative example shows the proposed procedure for the tolerance design of a helical spring.
TL;DR: An integrated approach of inductive learning and competitive neural networks for developing multi-objective flexible manufacturing system (FMS) schedulers that can assist the operator to make decisions in real time, while satisfying multiple objectives desired by the operator.
Abstract: In this paper, we propose an integrated approach of inductive learning and competitive neural networks for developing multi-objective flexible manufacturing system (FMS) schedulers. Simulation and competitive neural networks are applied sequentially to extract a set of classified training data which is used to create a compact set of scheduling rules through inductive learning. The FMS scheduler can assist the operator to make decisions in real time, while satisfying multiple objectives desired by the operator. A simulation-based experiment is performed to evaluate the performance of the resulting scheduler.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors proposed a parallel simulated annealing (PSA) based procedure to solve the MPCF problem in a cellular manufacturing system, which aims to minimize the total cost including intercell and intracell part transportation cost and machine investment cost, as well as intra-cell machine loading cost.
Abstract: Group technology (GT) is a manufacturing philosophy which identifies and exploits the similarity of parts and processes in design and manufacturing. A specific application of GT is cellular manufacturing (CM). The first step in the preliminary stage of cellular manufacturing system (CMS) design is cell formation, generally known as a machine-part cell formation (MPCF) or a machinecomponent grouping (MCG) problem. Simulated annealing (SA) is not only a highly effective and general random search method to obtain near-global optimal solutions for optimization problems, but also quite appropriate for the MPCF problem which is an NP complete, complex problem. In this study, we introduce modified SA with the merits of a genetic algorithm (GA), call parallel SA (PSA), and propose a PSA-based procedure to solve the MPCF problem. More specifically, this study aims to minimize (1) total cost which includes intercell and intracell part transportation cost and machine investment cost, (2) intracell machine loading un...
TL;DR: In this paper, a six-stage validity study of five alternative performance measures is carried out, based on a comparison between calculated performance measures for throughput with simulation results, using the Spearman correlation coefficient.
Abstract: Throughput evaluation of a mixed model assembly line, where the arrival sequence of items is randomly distributed, is a very difficult task, and the use of performance measures is required. An essential condition for using a performance measure is its validity. In this paper, a six-stage validity study of five alternative performance measures is carried out. The study is based on a comparison between calculated performance measures for throughput with simulation results, using the Spearman correlation coefficient. A full experimental study is developed, evaluating the validity of each measure in a wide range of problem environments. Results indicate that the performance measure based on the probability of a station becoming a bottleneck is highly correlated with simulation results, and was found to be the best measure in almost all experiments.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined the impact of forecasting errors on the scheduling instability in a material requirements planning (MRP) operating environment and found that forecasting errors may not cause a higher degree of scheduling instability given the forecast errors considered in this study.
Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of forecasting errors on the scheduling instability in a material requirements planning (MRP) operating environment. A sophisticated forecasting method is supposed to provide an accurate forecasting result, which, in turn, should create stable down-stream operating conditions. Through a simulation experiment, we find that forecasting errors may not cause a higher degree of scheduling instability given the forecast errors considered in this study. The scheduling instability, or MRP system nervousness, can be mitigated by using an appropriate lot-sizing rule. Thus, it is important for schedulers to understand this correlation between forecast errors and scheduling stability. After schedulers take reasonable efforts to find a good forecasting method, they don't need to be overly concerned with the associated forecast errors. The selection of an appropriate lot-sizing rule is capable of coping with forecast errors.
TL;DR: In this article, the mathematical methods and algorithms to compute milling cutter placement and machined surface error analysis problems for 4 and 5-axis finished-surface machining are presented, where different types of endmill cutters, such as the torusshaped (filleted) endmill, flat-end mill, and sphere-endmill, are used for multi-axis NC machining.
Abstract: This paper presents the mathematical methods and algorithms to compute milling cutter placement and machined surface error analysis problems for 4- and 5-axis finished-surface machining. Different types of endmill cutters, such as the torusshaped (filleted) endmill, flat-endmill and sphere-endmill, are used for multi-axis NC machining. A generalized tool description with tool orientation variables for variant types of cutters is developed for 5-axis machining. Methods of finding an instantaneous cutting profile and the local surface geometry to analyse machined surface errors are discussed for cutter location generation. A method of deciding tool orientation to avoid rear tool collision using global geometry information is also presented. The techniques presented in this paper can be used to eliminate errors of milling tool path generation in the area of simultaneous multi-axis NC complex surface machining.
TL;DR: In this paper, a generalized model for a continuous production process for simultaneous determination of production quantity, inspection schedule and control chart design, with a non-zero inspection time for false alarms, is presented.
Abstract: This paper presents a generalized model for a continuous production process for simultaneous determination of production quantity, inspection schedule and control chart design, with a non-zero inspection time for false alarms. Traditionally, the quality control problem and the inventory control problem have been viewed as two separate problems. Rahim (1994) developed an economic model for joint determination of production quantity, inspection schedule, and control chart design for a typical production process which is subject to a non-Markovian random shock. The model consists of the following cost components: (1) the production setup cost, (2) the inventory holding cost, and (3) the cost of maintaining the quality of the product under the surveillance of an x-chart. The optimal production quanity, the optimal inspection schedules, and the economic design parameters of the control charts were determined by striking a balance among these costs. For mathematical simplicity, it was assumed that production ce...