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The Evolution of Manufacturing System Models: A Personal View

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Stochastic Modeling and Optimization of Manufacturing Systems and Supply Chains

Part of the book series: International Series in Operations Research & Management Science ((ISOR,volume 63))

Abstract

The goal of this chapter is to outline the evolution of my understanding of manufacturing systems and how to represent them by stochastic models. The first paper that attempted to model a manufacturing system with a focus on uncertainty and randomness was Wright's paper [64] on the machine interference problem, published in 1936, the year before I was born, so the evolution of manufacturing system models has occurred over my lifetime. The chapter is written from a personal perspective, and so it seems appropriate to describe the people and the experiences in manufacturing which contributed to my understanding of what issues were significant and where models could help provide insight. I have not attempted to give a comprehensive literature review, but rather I have focused on the relatively small number of papers that have had a critical impact on my understanding of manufacturing issues and the technical challenges in modelling them. Much of my understanding of both issues and modelling techniques came through some exceptional students so I want to also acknowledge their contribution.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Schulich School of Business, York University, Toronto, Ontario, M3J 1P3, Canada

    John A. Buzacott

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  1. John A. Buzacott
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of California, Berkeley, USA

    J. George Shanthikumar

  2. Columbia University, USA

    David D. Yao

  3. University of Twente, The Netherlands

    W. Henk M. Zijm

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Buzacott, J.A. (2003). The Evolution of Manufacturing System Models: A Personal View. In: Shanthikumar, J.G., Yao, D.D., Zijm, W.H.M. (eds) Stochastic Modeling and Optimization of Manufacturing Systems and Supply Chains. International Series in Operations Research & Management Science, vol 63. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-0373-6_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-0373-6_3

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4613-5044-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4615-0373-6

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