The Output of A Two-Stage System with Unreliable Machines and Limited Storage

Abstract

Buffer storage allows the decoupling of successive stages of large automatic production systems, which can be important when the machines sometimes fail. System designers should know how much added buffer capacity increases the hourly output of such systems. Previously available methods for predicting this increase treat systems with one machine in each stage. We present a computationally simple heuristic procedure for estimating hourly line output for two stage systems in which each stage may have several machines.