earticle

영어

Most research on lot sizing has been for the case of a manufacturing system. In this paper, analogous issues are studied for a distribution network. Specifically, we consider the choice of shipment quantities within distribution requirements planning(DRP). A simulation model of DRP in a multi-echelon, rolling-schedule environment is used to examine, in the condition of a certain demand, the performance of five lot-sizing rules. We conducted a full-factorial experiment in which additional parameters were varied : distribution network structure, demand distribution, a level of inventroy and service, as suggested by the consulting study which motivated our research. We found that for DRP, contrary to the "shop floor" wisdom on MRP, the choice of lot-sizing method can be important. In the comparative evaluation between the lot-sizing methods with different demand patterns, the LFL and FPR techniques are more favorable for low inventory level and high service level as the demand is more intermittent and nonniform, and the EOQ and LTC are more unfavorable in the distribution network.