\(c\)-bottlenecks in serial production lines: Identification and application (Q1612063)

Summary: The bottleneck of a production line is a machine that impedes the system performance in the strongest manner. In production lines with the so-called Markovian model of machine reliability, bottlenecks with respect to the downtime, uptime, and the cycle time of the machines can be introduced. The two former have been addressed in recent publications [\textit{S.-Y. Chiang}, \textit{C.-T. Kuo} and \textit{S. M. Meerkov}, Bottlenecks in Markovian production lines: A systems approach, IEEE Trans. Robotics Automa. 14, 352-359 (1998) and Bottlenecks in Markovian production lines: Identification and application, Proc. 37th CDC (Tampa, Florida, USA), 4344-4345 (1998)]. The latter is investigated in this paper. Specifically, using a novel aggregation procedure for performance analysis of production lines with Markovian machines having different cycle time, we develop a method for \(c\)-bottleneck identification and apply it in a case study to a camshaft production line at an automotive engine plant.