IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/inm/ormnsc/v52y2006i12p1896-1912.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Production and Inventory Control of a Single Product Assemble-to-Order System with Multiple Customer Classes

Author

Listed:
  • Saif Benjaafar

    (Industrial and Systems Engineering, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455)

  • Mohsen ElHafsi

    (The A. Gary Anderson Graduate School of Management, University of California, Riverside, California 92521-0203)

Abstract

We consider the optimal production and inventory control of an assemble-to-order system with m components, one end-product, and n customer classes. A control policy specifies when to produce each component and, whenever an order is placed, whether or not to satisfy it from on-hand inventory. We formulate the problem as a Markov decision process and characterize the structure of an optimal policy. We show that a base-stock production policy is optimal, but the base-stock level for each component is dynamic and depends on the inventory level of all other components (more specifically, it is nondecreasing). We show that the optimal inventory allocation for each component is a rationing policy with different rationing levels for different demand classes. The rationing levels for each component are dynamic and also nondecreasing in the inventory level of all other components. We compare the performance of the optimal policy to heuristic policies, including the commonly used base-stock policy with fixed base-stock levels, and find them to perform surprisingly well, especially for systems with lost sales.

Suggested Citation

  • Saif Benjaafar & Mohsen ElHafsi, 2006. "Production and Inventory Control of a Single Product Assemble-to-Order System with Multiple Customer Classes," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 52(12), pages 1896-1912, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:inm:ormnsc:v:52:y:2006:i:12:p:1896-1912
    DOI: 10.1287/mnsc.1060.0588
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.1060.0588
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1287/mnsc.1060.0588?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Charles P. Schmidt & Steven Nahmias, 1985. "Optimal Policy for a Two-Stage Assembly System under Random Demand," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 33(5), pages 1130-1145, October.
    2. Feng Cheng & Markus Ettl & Grace Lin & David D. Yao, 2002. "Inventory-Service Optimization in Configure-to-Order Systems," Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, INFORMS, vol. 4(2), pages 114-132, December.
    3. Saif Benjaafar & Mohsen ElHafsi & Francis de Véricourt, 2004. "Demand Allocation in Multiple-Product, Multiple-Facility, Make-to-Stock Systems," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 50(10), pages 1431-1448, October.
    4. Alex X. Zhang, 1997. "Demand Fulfillment Rates In An Assembleto‐ Order System With Multiple Products And Dependent Demands," Production and Operations Management, Production and Operations Management Society, vol. 6(3), pages 309-324, September.
    5. Savas Dayanik & Jing-Sheng Song & Susan H. Xu, 2003. "The Effectiveness of Several Performance Bounds for Capacitated Production, Partial-Order-Service, Assemble-to-Order Systems," Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, INFORMS, vol. 5(3), pages 230-251, December.
    6. Jing-Sheng Song & Susan H. Xu & Bin Liu, 1999. "Order-Fulfillment Performance Measures in an Assemble-to-Order System with Stochastic Leadtimes," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 47(1), pages 131-149, February.
    7. Jing-Sheng Song, 1998. "On the Order Fill Rate in a Multi-Item, Base-Stock Inventory System," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 46(6), pages 831-845, December.
    8. de Kok, Ton G. & Visschers, Jeremy W. C. H., 1999. "Analysis of assembly systems with service level constraints," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 59(1-3), pages 313-326, March.
    9. Kaj Rosling, 1989. "Optimal Inventory Policies for Assembly Systems Under Random Demands," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 37(4), pages 565-579, August.
    10. Albert Y. Ha, 1997. "Inventory Rationing in a Make-to-Stock Production System with Several Demand Classes and Lost Sales," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 43(8), pages 1093-1103, August.
    11. Hausman, Warren H. & Lee, Hau L. & Zhang, Alex X., 1998. "Joint demand fulfillment probability in a multi-item inventory system with independent order-up-to policies," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 109(3), pages 646-659, September.
    12. Francis de Véricourt & Fikri Karaesmen & Yves Dallery, 2002. "Optimal Stock Allocation for a Capacitated Supply System," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 48(11), pages 1486-1501, November.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. ElHafsi, Mohsen, 2009. "Optimal integrated production and inventory control of an assemble-to-order system with multiple non-unitary demand classes," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 194(1), pages 127-142, April.
    2. Elhafsi, Mohsen & Hamouda, Essia, 2015. "Managing an assemble-to-order system with after sales market for components," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 242(3), pages 828-841.
    3. de Kok, Ton & Grob, Christopher & Laumanns, Marco & Minner, Stefan & Rambau, Jörg & Schade, Konrad, 2018. "A typology and literature review on stochastic multi-echelon inventory models," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 269(3), pages 955-983.
    4. Willem van Jaarsveld & Alan Scheller-Wolf, 2015. "Optimization of Industrial-Scale Assemble-to-Order Systems," INFORMS Journal on Computing, INFORMS, vol. 27(3), pages 544-560, August.
    5. Yao Zhao & David Simchi-Levi, 2006. "Performance Analysis and Evaluation of Assemble-to-Order Systems with Stochastic Sequential Lead Times," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 54(4), pages 706-724, August.
    6. Susan H. Xu & Zhaolin Li, 2007. "Managing a Single-Product Assemble-to-Order System with Technology Innovations," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 53(9), pages 1467-1485, September.
    7. Mustafa K. Doğru & Martin I. Reiman & Qiong Wang, 2010. "A Stochastic Programming Based Inventory Policy for Assemble-to-Order Systems with Application to the W Model," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 58(4-part-1), pages 849-864, August.
    8. Jing-Sheng Song & Yao Zhao, 2009. "The Value of Component Commonality in a Dynamic Inventory System with Lead Times," Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, INFORMS, vol. 11(3), pages 493-508, March.
    9. Yeu-Shiang Huang & Hau-Wen Lo & Jyh-Wen Ho, 2021. "Effects of component commonality and perishability on inventory control in assemble-to-order systems," Operational Research, Springer, vol. 21(1), pages 205-229, March.
    10. Lijian Lu & Jing‐Sheng Song & Hanqin Zhang, 2015. "Optimal and asymptotically optimal policies for assemble‐to‐order n‐ and W‐systems," Naval Research Logistics (NRL), John Wiley & Sons, vol. 62(8), pages 617-645, December.
    11. van Jaarsveld, Willem & Dollevoet, Twan & Dekker, Rommert, 2015. "Improving spare parts inventory control at a repair shop," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 57(PB), pages 217-229.
    12. van Jaarsveld, W.L. & Dollevoet, T.A.B., 2011. "Spare parts inventory control for an aircraft component repair shop," Econometric Institute Research Papers EI2011-24, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Erasmus School of Economics (ESE), Econometric Institute.
    13. Vernon Ning Hsu & Chung Yee Lee & Kut C. So, 2006. "Optimal Component Stocking Policy for Assemble-to-Order Systems with Lead-Time-Dependent Component and Product Pricing," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 52(3), pages 337-351, March.
    14. Yalçin Akçay & Susan H. Xu, 2004. "Joint Inventory Replenishment and Component Allocation Optimization in an Assemble-to-Order System," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 50(1), pages 99-116, January.
    15. Jing-Sheng Song & David D. Yao, 2002. "Performance Analysis and Optimization of Assemble-to-Order Systems with Random Lead Times," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 50(5), pages 889-903, October.
    16. Cheng, T.C.E. & Gao, Chunyan & Shen, Houcai, 2011. "Production planning and inventory allocation of a single-product assemble-to-order system with failure-prone machines," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 131(2), pages 604-617, June.
    17. Erica L. Plambeck & Amy R. Ward, 2006. "Optimal Control of a High-Volume Assemble-to-Order System," Mathematics of Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 31(3), pages 453-477, August.
    18. ElHafsi, Mohsen & Fang, Jianxin & Hamouda, Essia, 2020. "A novel decomposition-based method for solving general-product structure assemble-to-order systems," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 286(1), pages 233-249.
    19. Yao Zhao, 2008. "Evaluation and Optimization of Installation Base-Stock Policies in Supply Chains with Compound Poisson Demand," Operations Research, INFORMS, vol. 56(2), pages 437-452, April.
    20. Zhao, Yao, 2009. "Analysis and evaluation of an Assemble-to-Order system with batch ordering policy and compound Poisson demand," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 198(3), pages 800-809, November.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:inm:ormnsc:v:52:y:2006:i:12:p:1896-1912. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Chris Asher (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/inforea.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.