We consider an N-machine flowshop with unreliable machines and bounds on work-in-process. Machine capacities and demand processes are finite-state Markov chains. The problem is to choose the rates of production on the machines over time to minimize the expected discounted costs of production and...

We present some insights obtained from the considerable research that has accumulated in proving that a hierarchical decomposition based on the frequencies of occurence of different types of events in the system results in near-optimal decisions as the rates of some events become large compared...

In this paper, we deal with the problem of sequencing parts and robot moves in a robotic cell where the robot is used to feed machines in the cell. The robotic cell, which produces a set of parts of the same or different types, is a flow-line manufacturing system. Our objective is to maximize...

Flexible transfer lines or mixed-model assembly lines are capable of diversified small-lot production due to negligible switch-over costs. With these lines, it is possible to implement just-in-time (JIT) production, which involves producing only the necessary parts in the necessary quantities at...

This paper is concerned with a generalization of classical inventory models (with fixed ordering costs) that exhibit (s, S) policies. In our model, the distribution of demands in successive periods is dependent on a Markov chain. The model includes the case of cyclic or seasonal demand. The...

This paper deals with an asymptotic analysis of hierarchical production planning in stochastic manufacturing systems consisting of a single or parallel failure-prone machines producing a number of different products without attrition. The objective is to choose production rates over time in...

This paper is concerned with the problem of production planning in a stochastic manufacturing system with serial machines that are subject to breakdown and repair. The machine capacities are modeled by a Markov chain. The objective is to choose the input rates at the various machines over time...

This paper is concerned with the problem of production planning in a stochastic manufacturing system with serial machines that are subject to breakdown and repair. The machine capacities are modeled as Markov chains. Since the number of parts in the internal buffers between any two the problem...

This paper is concerned with optimal production planning on a single failure-prone flexible machine that produces N distinct part types. The machine is flexible in the sense that no setup is required for switching from production of one part type to another. We consider the problem of...

Recently, the production control problem in stochastic manufacturing systems has generated a great deal of interest. The goal is to obtain production rates to minimize total expected surplus and production cost. This paper reviews the research devoted to minimum average cost production planning...