A sensitivity analysis of an integrated model for joint determination of economic design of (x)over-bar-control charts, economic production quantity and production run length for a deteriorating production system

This study presents an integrated model for the joint economic design of (X) over bar -control charts and maintenance schedules and, simultaneously, determines the economic production quantity and production run length for a deteriorating production system. The operating state of the production process is classified as either in control or out of control. In the latter state, the process produces some defective items. An (X) over bar -control chart is used to monitor the process mean. Both uniform and non-uniform inspection schemes are adopted. Inspection and maintenance are performed simultaneously. Replacement cost is assumed to be very high. The process failure mechanism is assumed to follow a general probability distribution with an increasing failure rate. The concept of a truncated production cycle is introduced. The production cycle begins when a new component is installed and ends with a repair after the detection of a failure or after a specified number of inspection intervals, m, whichever occurs first. The effects of preventive maintenance on quality control are discussed. Numerical examples are provided to evaluate the performance of the model. Sensitivity analyses are conducted to study the effects of various model parameters. Copyright (C) 2002 John Wiley Sons, Ltd.