Bottleneck-oriented order release with shifting bottlenecks:An assessment by simulation

Thurer, Matthias and Stevenson, Mark (2018) Bottleneck-oriented order release with shifting bottlenecks:An assessment by simulation. International Journal of Production Economics, 197. pp. 275-282. ISSN 0925-5273

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Abstract

Bottleneck shiftiness is an important managerial problem that has received significant research attention. The extant literature has shown, for example, that protective capacity reduces the likelihood of the bottleneck shifting. Yet the actual performance impact of a bottleneck shift has been widely neglected. We posit that there are at least two interrelated effects that may impact shop performance: (i) the direct effect of the change in bottleneck position; and, (ii) the indirect effect of the order release method incorrectly identifying the bottleneck (i.e. assuming the bottleneck is Station X when it is actually Station Y). The latter is particularly acute in the context of bottleneck-oriented order release methods such as Drum-Buffer-Rope (DBR) as these release methods use feedback from the (assumed) bottleneck to control release. Using controlled simulation experiments we demonstrate that a bottleneck shift to a station upstream of the assumed bottleneck has a negligible effect on DBR performance while a downstream shift is detrimental to performance. Meanwhile, the distance, i.e. the number of stations between the actual and assumed bottleneck, has a negligible performance impact. These results have important managerial and research implications for DBR and other release methods.

Item Type:
Journal Article
Journal or Publication Title:
International Journal of Production Economics
Additional Information:
This is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in International Journal of Production Economics. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in International Journal of Production Economics, 197, 2018 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpe.2018.01.010
Uncontrolled Keywords:
/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/2200/2209
Subjects:
?? BOTTLENECK SHIFTINESSBOTTLENECK POSITIONDRUM-BUFFER-ROPEWORKLOAD CONTROLCONSTANT WORK-IN-PROCESSSIMULATIONBUSINESS, MANAGEMENT AND ACCOUNTING(ALL)ECONOMICS AND ECONOMETRICSMANAGEMENT SCIENCE AND OPERATIONS RESEARCHINDUSTRIAL AND MANUFACTURING ENGINEERING ??
ID Code:
89664
Deposited By:
Deposited On:
12 Jan 2018 15:14
Refereed?:
Yes
Published?:
Published
Last Modified:
19 Sep 2023 01:50