Title: A simulation study of pull system responsiveness considering production condition influences

Authors: Kuo-Ting Hung, Jeffrey K. Liker

Addresses: Information Systems and Operations Management, Suffolk University, 8 Ashburton Place, 7th Floor, Boston, MA 02108, USA. ' Department of Industrial and Operations Engineering, University of Michigan, 1205 Beal Ave., 2863 IOE Bldg., Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA

Abstract: In the past studies of pull systems, none have considered the combined effect of quality capability, equipment reliability, and logistical policy, on the responsiveness of the systems. We use the simulation approach to study the batch size effect on production lead-time in a multi-stage assembly pull system considering the combined effect of these production conditions. We find that all these internal and external production conditions have significant impacts in reducing the responsiveness of a pull system. This research extends past research on pull production systems and provides significant insights to firms who seek to implement pull systems to improve their production responsiveness.

Keywords: simulation; pull systems; just-in-time; JIT; Toyota Production System; lean manufacturing; system responsiveness; batch size; production lead-times; multi-stage assembly; production conditions; quality capability; equipment reliability; logistics policy.

DOI: 10.1504/IJISE.2007.011924

International Journal of Industrial and Systems Engineering, 2007 Vol.2 No.2, pp.123 - 136

Published online: 01 Jan 2007 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article