Sensitivity analysis for base-stock levels in multiechelon production-inventory systems

Sensitivity analysis for base-stock levels in multiechelon production-inventory systems

0.00 Avg rating0 Votes
Article ID: iaor1996102
Country: United States
Volume: 41
Issue: 2
Start Page Number: 263
End Page Number: 281
Publication Date: Feb 1995
Journal: Management Science
Authors: ,
Keywords: inventory: order policies, simulation: applications
Abstract:

Effective management of inventories in large-scale production and distribution systems requires methods for bringing model solutions closer to the complexities of real systems. Motivated by this need, the authors develop simulation-based methods for estimating sensitivities of inventory costs with respect to policy parameters. These sensitivity estimates are useful in adjusting optimal parameters predicted by a simplified model to complexities that can be incorporated in a simulation. The authors consider capacitated, multiechelon systems operating under base-stock policies and develop estimators of derivatives with respect to base-stock levels. They show that these estimates converge to the correct value for finite-horizon and infinite-horizon discounted and average cost criteria. The present methods are easy to implement and experiments suggest that they converge quickly. The authors illustrate their use by optimizing base-stock levels for a subsystem of the PC assembly and distribution system of a major computer manufacturer.

Reviews

Required fields are marked *. Your email address will not be published.