An integrated producer–buyer relationship in the environment of EMQ and JIT production systems

The philosophy of this paper is to build up a strong bond between a producer and a buyer. In this respect, an integrated producer–buyer inventory model with constant demand and small lot size is framed in two different production environments: an EMQ (economic manufacturing quantity)-based production environment and a JIT (just-in-time)-based production environment. Imperfect production with rework is considered for the producer while shortage and backlogging are introduced for the buyer. The joint total cost of the producer and buyer is minimised to determine the optimum rate of production and optimum shortage period for both cases. A comparative study is performed between these two cases using the numerical results in order to make a decision concerning the choice of a more convenient production system for small lot sizes. Sensitivity analyses are carried out together for both cases.     

Inventory control of an item with a probabilistic replenishment lead time and a known supplier shutdown period

In this paper, we address an important practical situation, namely where the usual replenishment lead time (when the supplier's production facility is operating) is a random variable and the supplier shuts down for an interval of known duration (for maintenance, vacation, etc.) each year. The demand rate is constant and any demand when out of stock is assumed to be lost. Under such circumstances we develop a heuristic procedure to decide when to initiate replenishment as well as the associated order-up-to-levels. Through the use of simulation (which accurately estimates the average costs per unit time), the heuristic is shown to perform excellently in a selection of small size problems when one can find the optimal solution. For a large number of problems of more realistic size, the use of simulation reveals that the heuristic achieves substantial cost savings when compared with a simpler, baseline approach. The heuristic itself does not require the use of simulation. The sensitivity of total expected costs to various parameters (such as the length of the shutdown interval and characteristics of the lead time distribution) is discussed.     

Scheduling manufacturing systems with work-in-process inventory control: Reentrant systems

In this paper, we propose a procedure for production flow control in reentrant manufacturing systems. The system under study consists ofN machines and producesM product types simultaneously. Each part goes through the system following a predefined process and may visit a machine many times. All machines are subject to random failures and need random repair times. The scheduling objectives are to keep the production close to demand and to keep the WIP inventory level and cycle times at low values. The model is motivated by semiconductor fabrication production. A three-level hierarchical controller is constructed to regulate the production. At the top level of this hierarchy, we perform capacity planning by selecting the desirable buffer sizes and the target production level for each operation. A production flow rate controller is at the middle level which recalculates the production rates whenever a machine fails or is starved or blocked. The loading times for individual parts are determined at the bottom level of the hierarchy. Comparison with alternative control is made through simulation and it shows that the control policy performs well.     

基于极大熵的单周期产品库存模型

研究具有自由需求分布的单周期问题。建立基本库存模型,给出期望利润表达式,运用极大熵准则确定需求的最可几分布,从而建立单周期产品库存模型,并得出最优订货批量。利用算例将该模型与Scarf订货规则和正态分布假设进行比较。结果表明,基于极大熵准则的库存模型能够获得更多的期望利润。     

不确定环境下复杂机械装配系统设备维修方法

为保障不确定环境下复杂机械装配系统的连续性并降低其维修成本,提出一种以马尔可夫决策理论为基础的设备维修策略动态选择方法。在综合考虑系统运行成本、缓冲库存成本、设备维修成本及停机损失成本的基础上,构建了装配系统可靠性成本模型。该模型以带有中间缓冲区的二级装配系统为研究对象,以设备状态和缓冲库存量为自变量,以可靠性成本为目标函数。分析了装配系统的不同运行状态,利用模拟退火算法和模糊非线性混合整数目标规划对可靠性成本模型求解,制定装配系统最优维修方法。该方法降低了装配系统停机时间,减少了设备维修次数,可为生产线设计和维修计划的制定提供依据。最后,通过算例分析验证了模型的有效性和可行性。     

Tolerancing for manufacturing: A three-dimensional model

This paper proposes a three-dimensional (3D) model on manufacturing tolerancing for mechanical parts. The work presented relies on research conducted at the LURPA on the computation of 3D tolerance chains for mechanisms. Starting from these works, the authors propose a formalization of the problem within the more specific context of manufacturing tolerances. Models of the workpiece, the set-ups and the machining operations are provided. The main originality is to model the machining set-up as a mechanism. The concept of the small displacements torsor (SDT) is used to model the process planning. It opens up the way for the 3D integration product/process because of the similarities between the concepts used in both points of view. The first part recalls the principle of the modelling of surface variations with SDT as well as its application to the modelling of mechanisms. The second part introduces the use of the concept in the case of manufacturing tolerancing. A third part shows the modelling of the problem with the help of an example. At last, a detailed computer implementation is described.     

Vendor managed inventory with consignment stock for supply chain with stock- and price-dependent demand

This paper presents a single vendor–single buyer coordinated model. The vendor produces a single deteriorating item and transfers it to the buyer in equal shipments. The model is based on vendor managed inventory with consignment stock (VMI-CS) agreement in which the vendor uses the buyer’s warehouse. The buyer stocks items both on his shelf and in his warehouse. The demand is assumed to be linearly sensitive to inventory level and selling price. The objective is to determine variables that maximise the total profit. An exact solution procedure is proposed to find the optimal solution. Numerical results show that supply chain members will benefit from the advantages of economies of scale in coordinated model with VMI-CS policy.