Editorial: Stochastic models of manufacturing and service system operations

This volume originates from the Seventh International Conference on “Stochastic Models of Manufacturing and Service Operations”, which took place in Ostuni, Italy, in 7–12 June, 2009. The aim of this conference was to serve as a forum for researchers, academics and industrialists to discuss their most recent research findings and to provide them with opportunities for technology transfer. The conference was organized by the Politecnico di Milano, the University of Salento, and ITIA-CNR, Italy. The head of the Organizing Committee was Dr. Tullio Tolio, Professor at the Politecnico di Milano and Director of ITIA-CNR. The conference attracted thirty-three international scholars who presented their work in single-track sessions and many more that participated. Professor Horst Tempelmeier of the University of Cologne, Germany, gave the plenary talk. The previous six biannual conferences of this series were held in Greece (1997–2005) and the Netherlands (2007) under the name “International Conference on Analysis of Manufacturing Systems” and variants of it. To accomplish a wider dissemination of the results that were reported at the conference, along with those obtained by other researchers working in the area of stochastic modeling