Determining cycle time for a multi-product FPR model with rework and an improved delivery policy by alternative approach

The present study determines the common cycle time for a multi-product finite production rate (FPR) model with rework and an improved delivery policy [1] by an alternative approach. Conventional method to the multi-product FPR problem employs the differential calculus to first prove convexity of the system cost function, then to derive the optimal common production cycle time that minimizes the long-run average system cost per unit time; whereas the proposed approach obtains the optimal cycle time without the need to reference the differential calculus. Such a simplified method may help those practitioners who have insufficient knowledge of calculus to effectively manage the real-life multi-product FPR problem