An Analysis of a Single Location Inventory Problem for Two Interchangeable Recoverable Items.
Abstract
We studied the interchangeability/substitutability problem for two recoverable items that fail at a single location. We assumed the failure processes for each type of item are independent, stationary Poisson processes and that the repair times are exponentially distributed. Furthermore, we assumed that the system is a closed system, that is , no items are added to or deleted from the system. We first considered a discrete-time problem and showed that this problem is a Markovian decision problem. We then showed that for this problem there exist optimal stationary Markov control policies. Next we formulated a continuous time model and showed how to find the optimal stationary Markov control policy using linear programming. Unfortunately, this approach was shown to be impractical for solving most real problems. Consequently, we established and explored some of the properties that we feel an optimal policy should possess. We developed heuristic procedures thatcan be used to find a good policy for managing this class of items.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 01, 1979
- Accession Number
- ADA071042
Entities
People
- John A. Muckstadt
Organizations
- Cornell University