Impact of manufacturing response time on retailer inventory
本文建立排队模型分析制造响应时间（包括加工、生产和配送时间）如何影响零售商为满足需求所需的库存水平，并推导出平均库存与需求及响应时间参数的简单方程，表明缩短平均响应时间可大幅降低零售商库存。
Retailers receiving items from a manufacturer carry inventory to meet customer demand. As items are sold, a retailer orders new items to replenish the inventory. Once an order is placed, there is a time taken for the items to be delivered to the retailer. This time is the manufacturing response time. It includes processing, production, and delivery times. These different components of time can result in response times that are long and uncertain. This paper develops a queueing model for analysing how manufacturing response time affects the inventory needed at retailers to meet demand. The model accounts for variability in response times and allows for products to be delivered to a retailer in a different sequence than they were ordered. Simple equations are derived for the average inventory in terms of demand and response time parameters. The equations show how shortening average response time can substantially reduce retailer inventory.