Hierarchical Decision Making in Stochastic Manufacturing Systems / Edition 1

by Suresh P. Sethi, Qing Zhang

Overview

One of the most important methods in dealing with the optimization of large, complex systems is that of hierarchical decomposition. The idea is to reduce the overall complex problem into manageable approximate problems or subproblems, to solve these problems, and to construct a solution of the original problem from the solutions of these simpler problems. Development of such approaches for large complex systems has been identified as a particularly fruitful area by the Committee on the Next Decade in Operations Research (1988) [42] as well as by the Panel on Future Directions in Control Theory (1988) [65]. Most manufacturing firms are complex systems characterized by sev­ eral decision subsystems, such as finance, personnel, marketing, and op­ erations. They may have several plants and warehouses and a wide variety of machines and equipment devoted to producing a large number of different products. Moreover, they are subject to deterministic as well as shastic discrete events, such as purchasing new equipment, hiring and layoff of personnel, and machine setups, failures, and repairs.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780817637354
Publisher:	Birkhäuser Boston
Publication date:	12/20/1994
Series:	Systems & Control: Foundations & Applications
Edition description:	1994
Pages:	422
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.25(h) x 0.04(d)

Table of Contents

I. Introduction and Models of Manufacturing Systems.- 1. Concepts of hierarchical decision making.- 2. Models of manufacturing systems.- II. Optimal Control of Manufacturing Systems: Existence and Characterization.- 3. Optimal control of parallel machine systems.- 4. Optimal control of dynamic flowshops.- III: Asymptotic Optimal Controls.- 5. Hierarchical controls in systems with parallel machines.- 6. Hierarchical controls in dynamic flowshops.- 7. Hierarchical controls in dynamic jobshops.- 8. Hierarchical production and setup scheduling in a single machine system.- 9. Hierarchical feedback controls in two-machine flowshops.- IV: Multilevel Hierarchical Decisions.- 10. A production and capacity expansion model.- 11. Production-marketing systems.- V: Computations and Conclusions.- 12. Computations and evaluation of hierarchical controls.- 13. Further extensions and open research problems.- VI: Appendices.- A. Finite state Markov chains.- B. Martingale problems, tightness, and Skorohod representation.- C. Rate of convergence of Markov chains.- D. Control-dependent Markov chains.- E. Convergence of Markov chains with two parameters.- F. Convex functions.- G. Viscosity solutions of HJB equations.- H. Value functions and optimal controls.- I. A review of relevant graph theory.- J. Miscellany.- Author index.- Copyright permissions.

Editorial Reviews

"This monograph is both a well-prepared report about brand-new results of recent research and a very nicely and carefully written (graduate) textbook on the field of shastic manufacturing systems. It is recommendable to operations researchers and system theorists as well as to applied mathematicians."

—Optimization

"A truly remarkable book, in which Sethi and Zhang have contributed enormously to the area of hierarchical controls in manufacturing. It is strongly recommended to operations researchers, industrial engineers, system and control theorists, applied mathematicians, and specialists in operations management."

— Journal of Discrete Event Dynamic Systems

"This book is clearly intended for an audience that is well versed in dynamic programming and finite state Markov processes. It would be well suited for researchers and graduate students in operations research, systems and control theory, and applied mathematics. Sethi and Zhang provide a very clearly written book that fills a gap in the research on hierarchical control of manufacturing systems by synthesizing research that was previously available only in research journals into a well-organized single volume."

— Interfaces

"Suresh Sethi has clearly made a series of important extensions to the treatment of hierarchical systems and applications to management science problems, and the book with Zhang is an impressive piece of work."

— Herbert A. Simon, Carnegie Mellon University

"The book is clearly written for operation researchers, system and control theorists and applied mathematicians."

— Mathematical Reviews

"Clear descriptions are followed by rigorous mathematical treatments. The bibliography is extensive and good...The book is a valuable progress report."

— Computing Reviews

"The book isrecommended to anybody who has an interest in applied shastic processes or manufacturing problems."

— Short Book Reviews

From the Publisher

Expounds a new theory of hierarchical decision making to improve the management of large and complex manufacturing systems to near optimization. The key to the approach is recognizing that events happen on different time scales; for example, the breakdown and repair of production equipment happens much more often than changes in product demand. Constitutes a new paradigm in convex production planning and a new direction in control theory. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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