Effects of alternate routings under variable lot-size conditions

Research into alternate routings suggests that basing process plans solely on machine and expected batch characteristics may be ignoring two important elements. (1) As actual batch quantities vary from their expected values, the balance between fixed and variable process components sometimes shifts, causing different machines to exhibit lower total processing costs. (2) As the most cost-effective machines become disproportionately loaded, the efficiency of the system may be served by considering alternative machines that are more generally available. The focus of this study is to investigate the significance of considering actual process quantity and relative resource availability under common conditions.