Production rate optimization in a two-stage system with finite intermediate storage (Q1059551)

The paper models two stages of a production line as a two-stage serial, or tandem, service system with a single server at each stage, limited interstage waiting space and, therefore, the possibility of blocking. Among the parameters of interest the production rate, or throughput, is paramount: this is the mean number of units processed in unit time. Throughput is calculated for a system where the input to the first stage is always full (saturated). The optimisation possibilities are studied of varying the service rate of the stages subject to a constant sum of the service rates at the stages. Numerical results illustrate the analysis. A rather more up-to-date review of work in this field with more references might have been opportune.