Article ID: | iaor20105516 |
Volume: | 41 |
Issue: | 3 |
Start Page Number: | 209 |
End Page Number: | 222 |
Publication Date: | Mar 2009 |
Journal: | IIE Transactions |
Authors: | Gharbi Ali, Lavoie Philippe, Kenne Jean-Pierre |
Keywords: | simulation |
The production control of homogenous transfer lines with machines that are prone to failure is considered in terms of inventory and backlog costs. Because problem complexity grows with line size, a heuristic method based on the profile of the distribution of buffer capacities in moderate size lines is developed in order to enable the optimization of long lines. A method consisting of an analytical formalism, combined discrete/continuous simulation modeling, design of experiments and response surface methodology is used to optimize a set of transfer lines, with one parameter per machine, for up to seven machines. A profile in the parameter distribution which can be modeled using four-parameters is observed. Consequently, the optimization problem is reduced to four parameters, in turn greatly reducing the required optimization effort. An example of a 20-machine line, optimized at 130 runs, versus 5243 090 runs that would be necessary to solve the 20-parameter problem, is presented to illustrate the usefulness of the parameterized profile.