 Simulation of unbalanced buffer allocation in unreliable unpaced production linesTom Mcnamara,
Sabry Shaaban and
Sarah Hudson
Post-Print from HAL Abstract: This article presents the results of a study investigating the performance of unpaced unreliable production lines (i.e. subject to breakdown) that are unbalanced in terms of their buffer storage sizes. Simulation is carried out for five, eight and 10 station lines with mean buffer space set at two, four and six units. Buffer capacity is allocated in different configurations for each of these lines. Performance indicators on throughput, idle time and average buffer level are analysed using a range of statistical tools, and relationships between the independent and dependent variables are determined. Overall results show that the best patterns for unreliable lines in terms of generating higher throughput rates (or lower idle times) as compared to a balanced line are those where total available buffer capacity is allocated as evenly as possible between workstations. In contrast, concentrating more buffer capacity towards the end of the line gives best average buffer level results. Keywords: Unpaced unreliable production lines; simulation; uneven buffer sizes; idle time; imbalance patterns; average buffer level (search for similar items in EconPapers) Published in International Journal of Production Research, 2013, 51 (N° 06), pp.P. 1922 - 1936 There are no downloads for this item, see the EconPapers FAQ for hints about obtaining it. Related works: Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:journl:hal-00841245 Access Statistics for this paper More papers in Post-Print from HAL |
Is your work missing from RePEc? Here is how to contribute.
Questions or problems? Check the EconPapers FAQ or send mail to .
EconPapers is hosted by the
School of Business at Örebro University.