Title: Unbalanced production systems with floats: analysis and lean design

Authors: Semyon M. Meerkov, Liang Zhang

Addresses: Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109–2122 USA. ' Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI 53201 USA

Abstract: Unbalanced production systems often operate in the regimes, where the departments with lower throughput operate overtime to prevent starvation of those with higher throughput. The work-in-process, built-up during the overtime, is referred to as the |float.| In this paper, we study such a system consisting of two departments obeying the Bernoulli reliability model. Specifically, we provide a method for performance analysis and offer a technique to calculate the smallest, i.e., lean, float capacity necessary and sufficient to obtain the system throughput equal to that of the best department. Four design approaches are considered, and it is shown that the ones based on transient analysis ensure superior performances.

Keywords: unbalanced production systems; float-based systems; Bernoulli machines; transient analysis; work-in-process; WIP; reliability modelling; floats; lean design.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMTM.2011.042105

International Journal of Manufacturing Technology and Management, 2011 Vol.23 No.1/2, pp.4 - 15

Published online: 27 Nov 2014 *

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