A closed queueing network model for the performance evaluation of the multi-echelon repair system

In this study we consider a spares provisioning problem for repairable items in which a parts inventory system is incorporated. If a machine fails, a replacement part must be obtained at the parts inventory system before the failed machine enters the repair center. The inventory policy adopted at the parts inventory system is the (S, Q) policy. Operating times of the machine before failure, ordering lead times and repair times are assumed to follow a two-stage Coxian distribution. For this system, we develop an approximation method to obtain the performance measures such as steady state probabilities of the number of machines at each station and the probability that a part will wait at the parts inventory system. For the analysis of the proposed system, we model the system as a closed queueing network and analyze it using a product-form approximation method. A recursive technique as well as an iterative procedure is used to analyze the sub-network. Numerical tests show that the approximation method provides fairly good estimation of the performance measures of interest.