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Resource allocation with lumpy demand: To speed or not to speed?

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  • Bintong Chen
  • Charles L. Munson

Abstract

In the classical EPQ model with continuous and constant demand, holding and setup costs are minimized when the production rate is no larger than the demand rate. However, the situation may change when demand is lumpy. We consider a firm that produces multiple products, each having a unique lumpy demand pattern. The decision involves determining both the lot size for each product and the allocation of resources for production rate improvements among the products. We find that each product's optimal production policy will take on only one of two forms: either continuous production or lot‐for‐lot production. The problem is then formulated as a nonlinear nonsmooth knapsack problem among products determined to be candidates for resource allocation. A heuristic procedure is developed to determine allocation amounts. The procedure decomposes the problem into a mixed integer program and a nonlinear convex resource allocation problem. Numerical tests suggest that the heuristic performs very well on average compared to the optimal solution. Both the model and the heuristic procedure can be extended to allow the company to simultaneously alter both the production rates and the incoming demand lot sizes through quantity discounts. Extensions can also be made to address the case where a single investment increases the production rate of multiple products. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics, 2004.

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  • Bintong Chen & Charles L. Munson, 2004. "Resource allocation with lumpy demand: To speed or not to speed?," Naval Research Logistics (NRL), John Wiley & Sons, vol. 51(3), pages 363-385, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:navres:v:51:y:2004:i:3:p:363-385
    DOI: 10.1002/nav.10121
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    1. Glock, Christoph H. & Grosse, Eric H., 2021. "The impact of controllable production rates on the performance of inventory systems: A systematic review of the literature," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 288(3), pages 703-720.

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