The performance of cannibalization policies in a maintenance system with spares, repair, and resource constraints

Warren W. Fisher and J. J. Brennan

Naval Research Logistics Quarterly, 1986, vol. 33, issue 1, 1-15

Abstract: This article presents the results of comparing the performance of several cannibalization policies using a simulation model of a maintenance system with spares, repair, and resource constraints. Although the presence of cannibalization has been incorporated into a number of maintenance system models reported in the literature, the questions of whether cannibalization should be done and what factors affect canibalization have received little attention. Policies tested include both no cannibalization and unlimited cannibalization as well as other based on the number of maintenance personnel available, the short‐term machine failure rate at the time of cannibalization, and the relationship between the mean cannibalization and repair rates. The best policies found are those that allow cannibalization only when it can be done quickly relative to repair or when it can be done without delaying part repair actions. The policy of complete cannibalization (always cannibalize when it is possible) is found to perform poorly except when either average maintenance personnel utilization is very low or when mean cannibalization times are very short relative to mean repair times. The latter result casts doubts on the appropriateness of the assumption of complete cannibalization in many models in the literature.

Date: 1986
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

Downloads: (external link)
https://doi.org/10.1002/nav.3800330102

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:wly:navlog:v:33:y:1986:i:1:p:1-15

Access Statistics for this article

More articles in Naval Research Logistics Quarterly from John Wiley & Sons
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Wiley Content Delivery ().