A study on the effect of the extent and location of protective capacity in flow systems

This research investigated in depth the effect of the level and the location of protective capacity relative to the location of the constraint through a simulation experiment. A production line with four stages is simulated. Location of the constraint, level of protective capacity, processing time variation and system down time are included as experimental factors. ANOVA is used for the analysis of the results, followed by Turkey's means test. The results show that protective capacity has a significant effect on shop performance, however with diminishing returns. The location of the constraint resource also plays a significant role in shop performance. The results also indicate that the extent of benefits derived from protective capacity or constraint location depends on the level of variability and system downtime.