Inventory control in a two-level supply chain with learning, quality and inspection errors

Abstract

A common measure of quality for a buyer or a vendor is the defect rate. Defects may represent an attribute, a dimension or a quantity. They may be classified as product quality defects or process quality defects. Product quality defects may be caused by human error which can be due to fatigue, lack of proper training, or other reasons. For example, an inspector may misclassify a defective fuel tank of a car as good. On the other hand, process quality defects maybe caused by a machine going out-of-control. While many researchers assume that the screening processes which separate the defective items are error-free, it would be realistic to consider misclassification errors in this process. Beside inspection errors, learning is another human factor that brings in enhancement in the overall performance of a supply chain. Learning is inherent when there are workers involved in a repetitive type of production process …