Probability in the Engineering and Informational Sciences
A study on inventory replenishment policies in a two-echelon supply chain system
Computers and Industrial Engineering - Special issue: Logistics and supply chain management
Optimal Policy for a Multiechelon Inventory System with Remanufacturing
Operations Research
Applying the linear particle swarm optimization to a serial multi-echelon inventory model
Expert Systems with Applications: An International Journal
Improving Supply Chain Performance: Real-Time Demand Information and Flexible Deliveries
Manufacturing & Service Operations Management
Optimal (r,nQ,T) batch ordering with quantized supplies
Computers and Operations Research
Newsvendor equations for optimal reorder levels of serial inventory systems with fixed batch sizes
Operations Research Letters
Technical Note---On Optimal Policies for Inventory Systems with Batch Ordering
Operations Research
Joint shipment consolidation and inventory decisions in a two-stage distribution system
Computers and Industrial Engineering
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In many production/distribution systems, materials flow from one stage to another in fixed lot sizes. For example, a retailer orders a full truckload from a manufacturer to qualify for a quantity discount; a factory has a material handling system that moves full containers of parts from one production stage to the next. In this paper, we derive optimal policies for multi-stage serial and assembly systems where materials flow in fixed batches. The optimal policies have a simple structure, and their parameters can be easily determined. This research extends the multi-echelon inventory theory in several ways. It generalizes the Clark-Scarf model by allowing batch transfers of inventories. Rosling (1989) shows that assembly systems can be interpreted as serial systems under the assumption that there are no setup costs. We show that the series interpretation still holds when materials flow in fixed batches which satisfy a certain regularity condition. Finally, Veinott (1965) identifies an optimal policy for a single-location inventory system with batch ordering. This paper generalizes his result to multi-echelon settings.