In this research, we discuss the relationship among the system elements in an integrated manufacturing cell. The cell considered consists of two production stations in series, an inspection station, an intermediate buffer, a rework buffer and a delay buffer. Instead of using the traditional control chart policy, we adopt a novel quality program. We use an integrated dual-batch-sizes and dual-sampling-probabilities (DBDS) scheme for the quality control and for initiating the corrective maintenance actions. Moreover, preventive maintenance is used to keep the cell in proper functions. Through this analysis, we find that there exists relationship among some system parameters. Considering their effects individually may not be sufficient in setting up a desirable environment. Findings from...[ Read more ]

In this research, we discuss the relationship among the system elements in an integrated manufacturing cell. The cell considered consists of two production stations in series, an inspection station, an intermediate buffer, a rework buffer and a delay buffer. Instead of using the traditional control chart policy, we adopt a novel quality program. We use an integrated dual-batch-sizes and dual-sampling-probabilities (DBDS) scheme for the quality control and for initiating the corrective maintenance actions. Moreover, preventive maintenance is used to keep the cell in proper functions. Through this analysis, we find that there exists relationship among some system parameters. Considering their effects individually may not be sufficient in setting up a desirable environment. Findings from both the analytical and simulation approaches are provided to give insights to managers on how the buffer sizes, the quality control plan's settings and the maintenance policy can be adjusted to fulfill their needs.