Abstract
This article derives an analytic solution to determine the optimal size of multiple noncontinuous process and storage units. The total cost to be minimized consists of the setup cost of noncontinuous processing units and the inventory holding cost of feedstock/product storages. A novel approach, which is called PSW(Periodic Square Wave) model, is applied to represent the material flow among non-continuous units and storages. PSW model presumes that the material flow between unit and storage is periodic square wave shaped. The resulting optimal unit size has similar characteristics with the classical economic lot sizing model such as EOQ(Economic Order Quantity) or EPQ(Economic Production Quantity) model in a sense that the unit size is determined as the balance between setup and inventory holding cost. However, the influence of inventory holding cost of PSW model is different from that of EOQ/EPQ model. EOQ/EPQ model includes only the product inventory holding cost but PSW model includes all inventory holding costs around the non-continuous unit with proportional contribution. PSW model is suitable for analyzing interlinked process-storage system. The optimal lot size of PSW model is smaller than that of EOQ/EPQ model. This is quitea remarkable result considering that the EOQ/EPQ model has been is widely used since last half century.