A VIEW ON CONWIP CONTROL POLICY IN SUPPLY CHAIN USING HEURISTIC METHOD

This paper describes a methodology for a pull production inventory control strategy which is based on optimization using heuristic algorithm for a mathematical model and then it is evaluated using simulation. The approach is described through the examples of production lines that process a single part type and is planned according to demand and lead time. The pull system has drawn the attention of researchers due to substantial advantages of being able to directly control WIP using the CONWIP cards, and can be applied to a wider variety of manufacturing environments. The information sharing will help with the integrating the echelons but with some complexity. To analyze the CONWIP controlled production line mathematical modeling is often applied and also simulation study is another performance evaluation tools so that it gives a valuable aid for gaining insights into and making decisions about the manufacturing systems. Each node is considered as a machine in a CONWIP SC. Our objective in this paper is to extend CONWIP control to a production inventory control system setting with an emphasis on customer satisfaction. Given this goal, inventory levels must be set for the whole system and the product to satisfy demands fairly. We also address a secondary objective of minimizing inventory costs by designing our procedure to find the smallest effective inventory level. Formulating a solvable problem meant shifting the focus to throughput, but the allocation found by the throughput driven heuristic can be utilized to provide good customer service. CONWIP cards can be implemented with a simple visual control at almost any level, at a machine, a work center, plant, or even an entire supply chain treating each echelon as a work center