Recent studies have revealed many interesting structural properties of kanban controlled serial systems. These properties suggest procedures for efficient card allocation, estimation of throughput and other inventory related measures. The efficacy of kanban control policies for systems with stage failures and limited repairs has not, however, yet been studied. Stage failures, limited repair and schedule of repair may affect the system throughput via unavailability of the stages along with adverse bowl and variance effects. Investigation of such systems is already under way resulting in a robust probability model that yields an expression of throughput. This research extends current frontiers by focusing on the following topics: (a) effect of repair schedule on system performance, (b) throughput estimation of decomposition, and (c) kanban allocation limit. The outcomes of this research will provide tools for more efficient design and control of serial production systems.
