Performance analysis and optimization of queueing network production systems considering non-conforming products rework and departure

Abstract

During the past decades, the production performance analysis and optimization have played a significant role in queueing network system production planning and operation design for the manufacturing plants, but how to model the optimized production system performance and solve it is facing great challenges. Since the more and more wide use of queueing network, the non-conforming product scenarios such as rework and departure, cause mass random interference. These problems when modelled in the conventional analysis and optimization models are extremely difficult to solve as they are coupled and NP-hard problems. This paper considers a modified M/M/n/m-first come first service (M/M/n/m-FCFS) queueing network approximation model that is developed to maximize utilization and profit by analysing the queue time and queue length of the products under the constraint conditions. A hybrid meta-heuristics is applied to solve the approximation model, both the service rate and buffer allocation of the queueing network system can be determined. Finally, to assess the effectiveness of the proposed method, extensive numerical experimental results from the approximation model are compared to the ARENA simulation, and sensitivity and validation analysis are also conducted, which prove it accurate, believable, and effective.