Simulation experience with a hierarchical scheduling policy for a simple manufacturing system

A real-time, hierarchical feedback control policy is applied to a two-machine, two-part-type manufacturing system in which there are three important classes of events: operations, failures, and setups. The controller chooses times for changing setups and performing operations. Failures and repairs occur at random times. The objective is to produce parts in a way that is as close as possible to a specified production plant. Results presented include an improved policy for choosing times for changing setups, hedging point strategies that allow flows of parts to take different routes in the system and thus to make greater use of system flexibility, and different versions of the hierarchy designed for different relative frequencies of events