A batch sizing model at a bottleneck machine in production systems

All of the machines in a production line can be classified into bottleneck and non-bottleneck machines. A bottleneck is a resource whose capacity limits the throughput of the whole production facility. This paper addresses a batch sizing problem at the bottleneck machine. Traditionally, most batch sizing decisions have been made based on the EOQ (economic order quantity) model where setup and inventory costs are considered while throughput rate is assumed to be given. However, since batch size affects the capacity of the bottleneck machine, the throughput rate may not be constant. As the batch size increases, the frequency of the setup decreases. The saved setup time can be transferred to processing time, which results in higher throughput. But, the larger batch size may also result in longer lead time and larger WIP inventory level. This paper presents an alternative method to determine batch size at the bottleneck machine in a manufacturing line. A linear search algorithm is introduced to find optimal throughput rate and batch size at the same time. Numerical examples are provided to see how the proposed method works and to investigate the effects of some parameters.