Author: Tovia Fernando Brooks Robert M. Cassady C. Richard Rossetti Manuel D.
Publisher: Inderscience Publishers
ISSN: 1745-7645
Source: International Journal of Operational Research, Vol.10, Iss.1, 2011-12, pp. : 60-81
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Abstract
Many organisations purchase equipment that is subject to unpredictable failures to carry out their services. When these breakdowns occur, maintenance technicians restore the equipment in a timely fashion either through repair or the installation of spare parts. In this research, the behaviour of the service parts logistics system (SPLS) is approximated with a modified M/G/1 HOL queuing model. Then, the costs structure of the SPLS is defined and approximated with a mathematical model that captures the interdependence of the inventory policy and the technician assignment. A heuristic 'assign locations' is implemented based on the modified M/G/1 HOL queuing, the costs model and a genetic algorithm to search for the near-minimum cost technician assignment given a fixed technician's vehicle inventory policy.