Mathematical programming formulation of CONWIP based production lines; and relationships to MRP

CONWIP (CONstant Work In Process) has been proposed as a new production management technique. CONWIP is a closed production management system in which a fixed number of containers traverses a circuit that includes the entire production line. This paper develops a mathematical programming formulation of a CONWIP-based production system that solves the problem of the order in which the parts are to be produced (i.e. setting the order of the backlog list). Through this model we also explain the major advantages of CONWIP over MRP systems.