The state of the art on buffer allocation problem: A comprehensive survey

The buffer allocation problem is an NP-hard combinatorial optimization problem and it is an important research issue in designing manufacturing systems. The problem deals with finding optimal buffer sizes to be allocated into buffer areas in a production system to achieve a specific objective. This paper presents a comprehensive survey on buffer allocation problem in production systems. To provide a systematic review of current relevant research, first studies are grouped in two categories: 1. Reliable production lines, 2. Unreliable production lines. Next, the studies in each group are reviewed based on topology of the production line, the solution methodologies suggested and the objective function employed. The aim of this review is twofold. First, it provides an overview of recent advances in the field in order to highlight the new trends in solution methodology. Second, it presents ideas for future research by identifying gaps in the current literature. © 2012 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC