Process Analysis (General Models)


Previously, we looked at a simple analysis of a production process where inter-arrival and process times are constant and known. In practice, inter-arrival and process times are variable and uncertain. In this exercise, we illustrate how a production process with general inter-arrival and process times can be modelled.

At the end of this exercise, the student should be able to:

Single workstation (9 questions)

Here, we examine a workstation that receives and processes jobs. Let time 0 denote the start of the day. 

Single workstation analysis (14 questions)

Suppose that jobs arrive and are being processed at a workstation as follows: 

Multiple servers (8 questions)

Here, we consider the case where multiple workstations are available to perform the same task. 

Suppose there are three workstations that are available to perform the task.

Each job can only be processed by a single workstation. For example, if there is only one job, it will be processed at one workstation and the remaining two workstations will remain idle.

Sequential workstations (9 questions)

Suppose jobs that have been processed at the first workstation proceed to the second workstation for further processing. Suppose jobs arrive at the first workstation and are processed at the two workstations as follows: