Stochastic allocation of inspection capacity to competitive processes

Abstract

Abstract:Optimal allocation and control of limited inspection capacity for multiple production processes are considered. The production processes, which operate independently but share inspection capacity, are subject to random failures and are partially observed through inspection. This study proposes an approach of stochastic allocation, using a Markov decision process, to minimize expected total discounted cost over an infinite time horizon. Both an optimal model and a disaggregate approximation model are introduced. The study provides some structural results and establishes that the control policy is of a threshold type. Numerical experiments demonstrate a significantly decreased amount of computational time required for the disaggregate approach when compared to the optimal solution, while generating very good control policies.

A novel model for the integrated planning of part quality inspection and preventive maintenance in a linear-deteriorating serial multi-stage manufacturing system

“…For example, Korytkowski [21] studied a production system with the average outgoing quality limit (AOQL) (please refer to [22] for the definition of AOQL). A limit on the budget/number of inspection stations was considered in some studies (see for example, [23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30]).…”