A perishable inventory system with modified (S−1,S) policy and arbitrary processing times

In this article we analyze a lost sales (S−1,S) perishable system, under Poisson demands and exponential lifetimes, in which the reorders are placed at every demand epoch so as to take the inventory position back to its maximum level S. The items are replenished one at a time and the resupply time has arbitrary distribution. The various operating characteristics are obtained using Markov renewal techniques. A matrix recursive scheme is developed to determine the stationary distribution of the underlying Markov chain. The efficiency of this procedure in the determination of optimal S that minimizes the long run expected cost rate is discussed. Sensitivity analysis of various system parameters is also carried out.