Performance analysis of re-entrant flow shop with single-job and batch machines using mean value analysis

Abstract

We propose an approximate method based on the mean value analysis for estimating the average performance of re-entrant flow shop with single-job machines and batch machines. The main focus is on the steady-state averages of the cycle time and the throughput of the system. Characteristics of the re-entrant flow and inclusion of the batch machines complicate the exact analysis of the system. Thus, we propose an approximate analytic method for obtaining the mean waiting time at each buffer of the workstation and a heuristic method to improve the result of the analytic method. We compare the results of the proposed approach with a simulation study using some numerical examples.