Expediting in Job-Order-Control Systems: A Simulation Study

Abstract

This article reports on an experimental investigation of expediting in job-order-control systems. Two modes of expediting—first-come-first-served and shortest-processing-time—are tested in simulated hybrid job shops and pure flow shops. These modes of expediting are statistically compared with shops which do not include expediting functions. The results of 36 computer runs generally indicate that first-come-first-served expediting is almost never desirable while the shortest processing time mode of expediting is, on the whole, about as desirable as no expediting.