The Buffer Size Control Problem for Hybrid Systems with Machines' Capacity Uncertainty

The failure prone production systems are examined. For the hybrid systems, the failure of machines is unavoidable and the production capacity of machines is uncertain. The continuous flow model of the unreliable manufacturing systems is considered and the control point policy is involved in. A decomposition method is utilized, meanwhile, an idea of purchasing extra capacity is introduced to the hybrid system and a so-called blockage hedging point is obtained. Then a near-optimal method is presented to determine the real-time optimal buffer sizes if the maximum of the production rate of machines vary. Numerical results not only testify the method but also show us its application.