A Recursive Optimization Approach for Buffer Allocation in Large Production Lines

Buffer allocation is a critical issue in the design stage of manufacturing systems, as buffer capacities may have a great impact on system performance. In this paper, we consider the problem of minimizing the total buffer capacity of a flow line to achieve a desired production rate. A recursive optimization approach is proposed to solve the problem in large production lines. Instead of optimizing a long line directly, the proposed approach decomposes it into two sub-lines, optimizes them recursively, and combines their solutions to find the optimal buffer distribution of the original line. Two different recursive algorithms are developed and their performance is demonstrated by comparing them with a gradient search algorithm. The numerical results show that the recursive algorithms are almost as accurate as the gradient algorithm, but much more efficient, especially for large production lines.