We model a CONWIP (CONstant Work-in-Process) production line with deterministic processing times and exponential failure and repair times as a closed queueing network. We derive an approximation for the mean and variance of the output during a specified interval and give computable conditions...

Little is known about the interaction among manufacturing subsystems in a factory. The output of one manufacturing subsystem is usually the input to one or more others in the plant. For example, a production line may provide input to another manufacturing stage, a shipping system, or an...