Gd. Taylor et Ss. Heragu, A comparison of mean reduction versus variance reduction in processing times in flow shops, INT J PROD, 37(9), 1999, pp. 1919-1934
A constant industry challenge is to find ways to improve production capabil
ities within the boundaries established by constrained resources. There are
several types of production improvement that represent laudable management
goals, and there are many ways to achieve production improvement goals. In
this paper, we focus on two production metrics and two means of improvemen
t. Specifically, we are concerned with finding ways to decrease manufacturi
ng work in process levels and cycle times in flow shops. A common method of
improvement is through mean processing time reduction that is frequently b
rought about by technological improvements in processing equipment. Another
common means of improvement that is receiving increasing attention in the
literature is variance reduction. Herein, we quantify and compare the level
s of improvement brought about by reduction in both mean and variance of pr
ocessing times.