In this paper, we develop a new mathematical model that integrates layout configuration and production planning in the design of dynamic distributed layouts. The model incorporates a number of important manufacturing attributes such as demand fluctuation, system reconfiguration, lot splitting, work load balancing, alternative routings, machine capability and tooling requirements. In addition, t...

Video Games are boring when they are too easy and frustrating when they are too hard. While most singleplayer games allow players to adjust basic difficulty (easy, medium, hard, insane), their overall level of challenge is often static in the face of individual player input. This lack of flexibility can lead to mismatches between player ability and overall game difficulty. In this paper, we exp...

We study the scheduling problem of a self-replicating factory. We show that by maintaining a sufficiently large inventory of intermediate metabolites and catalysts required for self-replication, optimal replication times can be achieved by a family of random scheduling algorithms that are biochemically feasible, for which catalysts never idle if they can perform de-novo bio-synthesis. Optimally...

Recently Levi, Pál, Roundy and Shmoys introduced a novel, Dual-Balancing policy for the classical singleitem, single-location inventory model with backlogged demands and dynamic forecasts of future demands that evolve as time advances. These models are usually computationally intractable due to the enormous size of the state space. The expected cost of the dual-balancing policy is guaranteed to...

We develop the first approximation algorithm for periodic-review perishable inventory systems with setup costs. The ordering lead time is zero. The model allows for correlated demand processes which generalize the well-known approaches to model dynamic demand forecast updates. The structure of optimal policies for this fundamental class of problems is not known in the literature. Thus, finding ...

Transshipment in retailing is a practice where one outlet ships its excess inventory to another with shortages. By balancing inventories, transshipment can reduce waste and increase fill rate at the same time. In “Separation of Perishable Inventories Offline Retailing Through Transshipment,” Li, Yu, Du explore idea transshipping perishable goods fixed finite lifetime offline grocery retailing. ...

with the growth in customers’ demand diversification, mixed-model u-lines (mmul) have acquired increasing importance in the area of assembly systems. there are generally two different approaches in the literature for balancing such systems. some researchers believe that since the types of models can be very diverse, a balancing approach without simultaneously sequencing of models will not yield...

We develop the first approximation algorithm for periodic-review perishable inventory systems with setup costs. The ordering lead time is zero. The model allows for correlated demand processes which generalize the well-known approaches to model dynamic demand forecast updates. The structure of optimal policies for this fundamental class of problems is not known in the literature. Thus, finding ...