Determining the Optimal Process Mean and Screening Limits for Packages Subject to Compliance Testing

The repeated uniform filling of a package and the subsequent accurate estimation of its contents are complicated by the variability of the fill and packaging materials. Consequently, although each container is weighed, the process will still yield underfilled and overfilled packages. Therefore, screening limits are employed as a countermeasure, beyond which the product is reclaimed. The lower and upper limits are designed to decrease the risk of noncompliance and minimize product “giveaway,” respectively. In this paper, a control policy model is developed for this environment which determines the economically optimal settings of the mean and the screening limits, subject to an acceptable level of risk.