A sequential attribute sampling inspection game for item facilities

The routine inspection of facilities storing large numbers of identical items is modeled as a two‐person, sequential game. Timely detection of illegal activity is parameterized in terms of a critical time to detection, and equilibria are derived which provide inspection strategies. Necessary conditions for deterrence of illegal behavior are discussed. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Naval Research Logistics 48: 496–505, 2001     

Optimizing barge utilization in hinterland container transportation

In hinterland container transportation the use of barges is getting more and more important. We propose a real‐life operational planning problem model from an inland terminal operating company, in which the number of containers shipped per barge is maximized and the number of terminals visited per barge is minimized. This problem is solved with an integer linear program (ILP), yielding strong cost reductions, about 20%, compared to the method used currently in practice. Besides, we develop a heuristic that solves the ILP in two stages. First, it decides for each barge which terminals to visit and second it assigns containers to the barges. This heuristic produces almost always optimal solutions and otherwise near‐optimal solutions. Moreover, the heuristic runs much faster than the ILP, especially for large‐sized instances.     

Nonexistence of the maximum likelihood estimates in the weibull process

With incomplete data the maximum likelihood estimates of the parameters of the Weibull process can only be obtained by solving the likelihood equations iteratively. In this article we show that the solution of the likelihood equations may lie outside of the parameter space if none of the processes can be observed from time zero.     

Relaxation method for the solution of the minimax location-allocation problem in euclidean space

A method previously devised for the solution of the p-center problem on a network has now been extended to solve the analogous minimax location-allocation problem in continuous space. The essence of the method is that we choose a subset of the n points to be served and consider the circles based on one, two, or three points. Using a set-covering algorithm we find a set of p such circles which cover the points in the relaxed problem (the one with m < n points). If this is possible, we check whether the n original points are covered by the solution; if so, we have a feasible solution to the problem. We now delete the largest circle with radius r_p (which is currently an upper limit to the optimal solution) and try to find a better feasible solution. If we have a feasible solution to the relaxed problem which is not feasible to the original, we augment the relaxed problem by adding a point, preferably the one which is farthest from its nearest center. If we have a feasible solution to the original problem and we delete the largest circle and find that the relaxed problem cannot be covered by p circles, we conclude that the latest feasible solution to the original problem is optimal. An example of the solution of a problem with ten demand points and two and three service points is given in some detail. Computational data for problems of 30 demand points and 1–30 service points, and 100, 200, and 300 demand points and 1–3 service points are reported.     

Optimal job splitting on a multi‐slot machine with applications in the printing industry

In this article, we define a scheduling/packing problem called the Job Splitting Problem, motivated by the practices in the printing industry. There are n types of items to be produced on an m‐slot machine. A particular assignment of the types to the slots is called a “run” configuration and requires a setup cost. Once a run begins, the production continues according to that configuration and the “length” of the run represents the quantity produced in each slot during that run. For each unit of production in excess of demand, there is a waste cost. Our goal is to construct a production plan, i.e., a set of runs, such that the total setup and waste cost is minimized. We show that the problem is strongly NP‐hard and propose two integer programming formulations, several preprocessing steps, and two heuristics. We also provide a worst‐case bound for one of the heuristics. Extensive tests on real‐world and randomly generated instances show that the heuristics are both fast and effective, finding near‐optimal solutions. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics, 2010     

Dynamic routing of prioritized warranty repairs

Recent years have seen a strong trend toward outsourcing warranty repair services to outside vendors. In this article we consider the problem of dynamically routing warranty repairs to service vendors when warranties have priority levels. Each time an item under warranty fails, it is sent to one of the vendors for repair. Items covered by higher priority warranty receive higher priority in repair service. The manufacturer pays a fixed fee per repair and incurs a linear holding cost while an item is undergoing or waiting for repair. The objective is to minimize the manufacturer's long‐run average cost. Because of the complexity of the problem, it is very unlikely that there exist tractable ways to find the optimal routing strategies. Therefore, we propose five heuristic routing procedures that are applicable to real‐life problems. We evaluate the heuristics using simulation. The simulation results show that the index‐based “generalized join the shortest queue” policy, which applies a single policy improvement step to an initial state‐independent policy, performs the best among all five heuristics. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics, 2008     

Optimizing the US Navy's combat logistics force

We study how changes to the composition and employment of the US Navy combat logistic force (CLF) influence our ability to supply our navy worldwide. The CLF consists of about 30 special transport ships that carry ship and aircraft fuel, ordnance, dry stores, and food, and deliver these to client combatant ships underway, making it possible for our naval forces to operate at sea for extended periods. We have modeled CLF operations to evaluate a number of transforming initiatives that simplify its operation while supporting an even larger number of client ships for a greater variety of missions. Our input is an employment schedule for navy battle groups of ships operating worldwide, extending over a planning horizon of 90–180 days. We show how we use optimization to advise how to sustain these ships. We have used this model to evaluate new CLF ship designs, advise what number of ships in a new ship class would be needed, test concepts for forward at‐sea logistics bases in lieu of conventional ports, demonstrate the effects of changes to operating policy, and generally try to show whether and how the CLF can support planned naval operations. Published 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics 2008     

Security Cooperation Issues in the Western Hemisphere

Building regional security cooperation in the Western Hemisphere is not a strictly short-term, unilateral or bilateral defense effort. Regional security will only result from a long-term, cooperative, multilateral civil-military effort. A viable framework for success includes the need to advance hemispheric understanding of the security concerns of each country and those that the region as a whole faces (for example, the internal and external threat(s) to security). Finally, these issues and associated recommendations demand a carefully staffed and phased regional security plan of action, with measurable short- and long-term objectives to validate its planning and implementation. The basic directions for a regional security plan, as identified at the Miami conference, are as follow.