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Abstract
Scientific analysis of servicing processes has resulted in the development of sequential servicing where a unit requiring service is processed through a fixed number of stages sequentially. A detailed study of such a system has been presented by Boling (1). This paper considers a large servicing system consisting of a finite number of identical sequential service lines. These lines are operated in parallel, but interline transfers of units are made whenever advantageous. Using time homogeneous Markov chains, a model is developed for analyzing the operation of such a system, which shows that interline transfers of units result in improved performance of the system. Practical considerations in the implementation of this mode of operation are discussed, and the model is illustrated.