Modelling complex assemblies as a queueing network for lead time control

In this paper we develop an open queueing network for optimal design of multi-stage assemblies, in which each service station represents a manufacturing or assembly operation. The arrival processes of the individual parts of the product are independent Poisson processes with equal rates. In each service station, there is a server with exponential distribution of processing time, in which the service rate is controllable. The transport times between the service stations are independent random variables with exponential distributions. By applying the longest path analysis in queueing networks, we obtain the distribution function of time spend by a product in the system or the manufacturing lead time. Then, we develop a multi-objective optimal control problem, in which the average lead time, the variance of the lead time and the total operating costs of the system per period are minimized. Finally, we use the goal attainment method to obtain the optimal service rates or the control vector of the problem. 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.