Mathematical theory of improvability of production systems (Q1286221)

Summary: A mathematical model for continuous improvement processes in production systems is formulated. Both constrained and unconstrained cases are addressed. A solution for the case of a serial production line with finite buffers and a Bernoulli model of machines reliability is given. In particular, it is shown that a production line is unimprovable under constraints if each buffer is on the average half full and each machine has equal probability of blockages and starvations. Based on this result, guidelines for continuous improvement processes are formulated.