Multiple Machine Replacement Within an Integrated System Framework

Abstract

Historically, the study of economic equipment replacement is primarily limited to that of a single machine or a single machining system. The replacement situation whereby machines under consideration are part of a large integrated system has received little attention. This paper proposes a framework, for the analysis of multiple-machine replacement within an integrated system context. The major difficulty of analyzing such a problem lies in the interactive nature of an integrated system; that is, how should the effects to the entire system be assessed as a result of alterations to one or more of its components. The emphasis of this work is on the issues regarding multiple machine replacement. A single-period model is utilized in order to simplify the presentation. A comprehensive example is also provided for illustration.