Operations planning for a multi-stage kanban system

✍ Scribed by Bhaba R. Sarker; Chidambaram V. Balan

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1999
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 514 KB
• Volume: 112
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0377-2217
• DOI: 10.1016/s0377-2217(97)00432-3

✦ Synopsis

A multi-stage production line which operates under a just-in-time production philosophy with linear demand is considered here. The ®rst workstation processes the raw materials after receiving them from suppliers, a kanban mechanism between the workstations transports the work-in-process to the succeeding workstation, and after processing them, delivers the ®nished products to a buyer or a warehouse. The problem is to ®nd optimally the number of raw material orders, kanbans circulated between workstations, ®nished goods shipments to the buyers, and the batch size for each shipment (lot). A cost function is developed based on the costs incurred due to the raw materials, the workin-process between workstations, and the ®nished goods. Optimal number of raw material orders that minimizes the total cost is obtained, which is then used to ®nd the optimal number of kanbans, ®nished goods shipments, and the batch sizes for shipments. Numerical examples are used to demonstrate the computations of optimal parameters, and to con®gure the kanban mechanism on a timescale. Several avenues for future research are also indicated.