An optimization-based decision support system has been developed and used by NABISCO to manage complex problems involving facility selection, equipment location and utilization, and manufacture and distribution of products such as the familiar Ritz Crackers, Oreo Cookies, Fig Newtons, etc. (all...

Appropriate inspection is a significant component of production systems. In this paper a model is developed to determine the optimal placement of inspection stations within n-stage linear production systems. This model accommodates two types of inspector fallibility: "predictable," which implies...

Mixed-model assembly lines are used to produce many different products without carrying large inventories. The effective utilization of these lines requires that a schedule for assembling the different products be determined. For Just-In-Time (JIT) production systems, which require producing...

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate a heuristic procedure for solving the resource-constrained project scheduling problem. Projects that involve completing a sequence of well defined activities, some of which can be done in parallel, often are characterized by capacity limitations on some...

This paper develops a method for comparing the cost effectiveness of two ways of improving the fire protection in a community: the installation of detection-alarm systems (DAS) in dwellings and the addition of fire companies. The method is developed from a number of relatively simple models and...

We consider some key features of capacity acquisition, disposal, and replacement decisions in this paper that are seldom captured in capacity expansion models in the literature. First, capacity is often purchased in the form of equipment which comes only in a few discrete sizes. Second, some or...

This paper concerns a multilocation newsboy problem with normal demand at each location and identical linear holding and penalty cost functions at each location. Consolidation of demand from several facilities is considered, and an expression is derived for the resulting expected holding and...

Analyzing machine investment opportunities from a systems perspective requires an understanding of interdependencies between machine investment and utilization decisions. Machine investment decisions involve determining the number of machines to purchase and their types. Machine utilization...