A decomposition model for continuous materials flow production systems

This study presents a general and flexible decomposition method for continuous materials flow production systems. The decomposition method uses the station model developed in the first part of this study. The decomposition method is an iterative method. At each iteration the input and output processes of the station model are matched to the most recent solutions of the adjacent stations. The procedure terminates when the solutions converge and the conservation of materials flow is satisfied. The decomposition method does not alter the station parameters such as the breakdown, repair, and service rates. This method can be used to analyse a wide variety of production systems built from heterogeneous stations. The properties of the decomposition method are studied for the series arrangement of workstations. The convergence and uniqueness of the decomposition method are discussed. The method is compared to other approximation methods. The complexity of the decomposition method is empirically investigated and is shown to be in the order of N² where N is the number of stations in the line, irrespective of the buffer capacities.