Skip to main content
Log in

A simulated annealing approach for buffer allocation in reliable production lines

  • Published:
Annals of Operations Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

We describe a simulated annealing approach for solving the buffer allocation problem in reliable production lines. The problem entails the determination of near optimal buffer allocation plans in large production lines with the objective of maximizing their average throughput. The latter is calculated utilizing a decomposition method. The allocation plan is calculated subject to a given amount of total buffer slots in a computationally efficient way.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. T. Altiok, Performance Analysis of Manufacturing Systems (Springer, 1997).

  2. R.G. Askin and C.R. Standridge, Modeling and Analysis of Manufacturing Systems (Wiley, 1993).

  3. A.A. Bulgak, P.D. Diwan and B. Inozu, Buffer size optimization in asynchronous assembly systems using genetic algorithms, Computers Ind. Engng. 28(2) (1995) 309–322.

    Google Scholar 

  4. J.A. Buzacott and J.G. Shanthikumar, Stochastic Models of Manufacturing Systems (Prentice Hall, 1993).

  5. V. Cerny, Thermodynamical approach to the traveling salesman problem: an efficient simulation algorithm, Journal of Optimization Theory and Applications 45 (1985) 41–51.

    Google Scholar 

  6. R.W. Conway, W.L. Maxwell, J.O. McClain and L.J. Thomas, The role of work-in-process inventories in series production lines, Operations Research 36 (1988) 229–241.

    Google Scholar 

  7. A. Corana, M. Marchesi, C. Martini and S. Ridella, Minimizing multimodal functions of continuous variables with the "simulated annealing" algorithm, ACM Transactions on Mathematical Software 13(3) (September 1987) 262–280.

    Google Scholar 

  8. Y. Dallery and Y. Frein, On decomposition methods for tandem queueing networks with blocking, Operations Research 41(2) (1993) 386–399.

    Google Scholar 

  9. Y. Dallery and S.B. Gershwin, Manufacturing flow line systems: A review of models and analytical results, Queueing Systems 12 (1992) 3–94.

    Google Scholar 

  10. R.W. Eglese, Simulated annealing: A tool for operational research, European Journal of Operational Research 46 (1990) 271–281.

    Google Scholar 

  11. S.B. Gershwin, An efficient decomposition method for the approximate evaluation of tandem queues with finite storage space and blocking, Operations Research 35(2) (1987) 291–305.

    Google Scholar 

  12. S.B. Gershwin, Manufacturing Systems Engineering (Prentice Hall, 1994).

  13. F. Glover, Tabu search-part I, ORSA Journal on Computing 1 (1990) 190–206.

    Google Scholar 

  14. D.E. Goldberg, Genetic Algorithms: In Search of Optimization & Machine Learning (Addison-Wesley, 1989).

  15. R. Gupta, S.A. Smolka and S. Bhaskar, On randomization in sequential and distributed algorithms, ACM Computing Surveys 26(1) (1994) 7–86.

    Google Scholar 

  16. C. Heavey, H.T. Papadopoulos and J. Browne, The throughput rate of multistation unreliable production lines, European Journal of Operational Research 68 (1993) 69–89.

    Google Scholar 

  17. F.S. Hillier and K.C. So, The effect of the coefficient of variation of operation times on the allocation of storage space in production line system, IIE Transactions 23 (1991) 198–206.

    Google Scholar 

  18. F.S. Hillier, K.C. So and R.W. Boling, Notes: Toward characterizing the optimal allocation of storage space in production line systems with variable processing times, Management Science 39(1) (1993) 126–133.

    Google Scholar 

  19. J.H. Holland, Adaptation in Natural and Artificial Systems (University of Michigan Press, Ann Arbor, MI, 1975).

    Google Scholar 

  20. L. Ingber, Very fast simulated re-annealing, Journal of Mathematical Computation Modelling 12 (1989) 967–973.

    Google Scholar 

  21. L. Ingber, Simulated annealing: Practice versus theory, Journal of Mathematical Computation Modelling 18(11) (1993) 29–57.

    Google Scholar 

  22. S. Kirkpatrick, C.D. Gelatt Jr. and M.P. Vecchi, Optimization by simulated annealing, Science 220 (1983) 671–679.

    Google Scholar 

  23. D.E. Knuth, The Art of Computer Programming, Vol. 2, Seminumerical Algorithms, 2nd ed. (Addison-Wesley, 1981) pp. 171–173.

  24. C. Koulamas, S.R. Antony and R. Jaen, A survey of simulated annealing applications to operations research problems, Omega International Journal of Management Science 22(1) (1994) 41–56.

    Google Scholar 

  25. P.J.M. Van Laarhoven and E.H.L. Aarts, Simulated Annealing: Theory and Applications (D. Reidel, Dordrecht, The Netherlands, 1987).

    Google Scholar 

  26. N. Metropolis, A.N. Rosenbluth, M.N. Rosenbluth, A.H. Teller and E. Teller, Equation of state calculation by fast computing machines, Journal of Chemical Physics 21(6) (1953) 1087–1092.

    Google Scholar 

  27. H.T. Papadopoulos and C. Heavey, Queueing theory in manufacturing systems analysis and design: A classification of models for production and transfer lines, European Journal of Operational Research 92 (1996) 1–27.

    Google Scholar 

  28. H.T. Papadopoulos, C. Heavey and J. Browne, Queueing Theory in Manufacturing Systems Analysis and Design (Chapman and Hall, 1993).

  29. H. Perros, Queueing Networks with Blocking (Oxford University Press, 1994).

  30. S.G. Powell, Buffer allocation in unbalanced serial lines, Working Paper 289, The Amos Tuck School of Business Administration, Dartmouth College (1992).

  31. W.H. Press, B.P. Flannery, S.A. Teukolsky and W.T. Vetterling, Numerical Recipes in C (Cambridge University Press, 1988) pp. 343–352.

  32. K.C. So, Optimal buffer allocation strategy for minimizing work-in-process inventory in unpaced production lines, IIE Transactions 29 (1997) 81–88.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Spinellis, D.D., Papadopoulos, C.T. A simulated annealing approach for buffer allocation in reliable production lines. Annals of Operations Research 93, 373–384 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1018984125703

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1018984125703

Navigation