Optimal just-in-time buffer inventory for regular preventive maintenance

Most manufacturing organizations, if not all, are trying to implement some of the ideas adopted by the just-in-time (JIT) philosophy, a philosophy that promises a continuous improvement in total productivity. Preventive maintenance, an essential element of the just-in-time structure, induced the idea of this paper. Performing regular preventive maintenance results in a shutdown of the production unit for a period of time to enhance the condition of the production unit to an acceptable level. During such interruption, a just-in-time buffer is needed so that normal operations will not be interrupted. The optimum just-in-time buffer level is determined by trading off the holding cost per unit per unit of time and the shortage cost per unit of time such that their sum is minimum. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science BY. All rights reserved.