Serial production systems with random yield and rigid demand: A heuristic

We consider a heuristic for serial production systems with random yields and rigid demand: all usable units exiting a stage move forward. We calculate optimal lots and corresponding expected costs for binomial, interrupted-geometric, and all-or-nothing yields. Our method is that it makes it easy to analyze large systems. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.