In industries characterized by heavy utilization of equipment and machinery, such as mining, oil & gas, utilities, transportation, adequate stockholding of critical spare parts becomes essential. Insufficient stocks affect overall performance of physical assets, as lack of spares may result in gross penalties, lower availability or increased operational risks. On the other hand, oversized inven...

Automation in laboratory medicine is inevitable and the only way forward especially in Africa where the staff turnover is high due to migration of experienced staff to Europe and America. Described here are the common issues that laboratory Managers and Directors encounter when upgrading, replacing analytical systems as well as daily running of diagnostic laboratories. The rapid advancement dri...

This paper considers a k-out-of-N system with identical, repairable components. Maintenance is initiated when the number of failed components exceeds some critical level. After a possible set-up time, all failed components are replaced by spares. A multi-server repair shop repairs the failed components. The system availability depends on the spare part stock level, the maintenance policy and th...

We consider an M/G/∞ exchangeable-item repair system with spares and ample servers to which arriving customers bring failed items for repair. The system comprises a multi-item-type, multiechelon system in which failed items may be either repaired at the first echelon or sent for repair in higher echelons. To decrease the average waiting time of a random customer, managers can invest in multiple...

This paper deals with the transient analysis of K-out-of-N: G system consisting of Noperatingmachines. To improve system reliability, Y cold standby and S warm standbys spares areprovided to replace the failed machines. The machines are assumed to fail in multiple modes. At leastK-out-of-N machines for smooth functioning of the system. Reliability and mean time to failure areestablished in term...

In this investigation, the explicit expressions for reliability function and mean time to failure (MTTF) of a repairable system with provision of spares and removable multi-repair facility have been established. In removable repairmen strategy, the repairmen turn on when there are N or more than N failed units and turn-off when system is empty. The failure times of operating/spare units and rep...

The impact of three treatment strategies for Trypanosoma evansi control on horse mortality in the Brazilian Pantanal based on four size categories of cattle ranches is explored. The region's 49,000 horses are indispensable to traditional extensive cattle ranching and T. evansi kills horses. About 13% of these horses would be lost, annually, due to T. evansi if no control were undertaken. One pr...