Optimal Imperfect-Quality Inventory Models for Continuous and Discrete Shipping with Process Improvement and Setup Reduction

Intelligent investment in setup cost reduction and process reliability improvement is crucial to an emerging integrated lean six sigma practice today. This study examines a cost-minimizing problem of jointly determining production lot size, setup cost reduction, and process reliability improvement decisions for a manufacturer with an imperfect production process. We develop models for previously untapped discrete shipping in a supply chain context as well as continuous shipping and solve them optimally using differential calculus and nonlinear programming. We also conduct analytic and numerical sensitivity analyses to provide various important managerial insights into practices.