Abstract
This article investigates methods for reallocation of service capacities in open Jackson networks in order to minimize either a system's mean total work-in-process or its response time. The focus is mainly on a method called node generation, by which capacity can be transferred from a node in echelon j to a newly generated node in echelon j + 1. The proposed procedure is compared with the more conventional capacity redistribution method, by which capacity can be transferred from any node in echelon j to existing successor nodes in echelon j + 1. Formulation of each method as a mathematical programming problem reveals the structure of the optimal solution for both problems. The motivation for considering these approaches stems from real-life settings, in particular, from a production line or supply chains where the two types of capacity reallocation are applied. Heuristic methods are developed to solve relatively large networks in tractable time. Numerical results and analyses are presented.