Disaster relief centers (DRCs) are the retailers of disaster relief supply chains. Also known
as Points of Distribution (PODs), disaster relief centers are ad hoc distribution sites set up in …

We develop a theory for the design of process flexibility in a multiperiod make-to-order
production system. We propose and formalize a notion of “effective chaining” termed the …

In the wake of a disaster, people from nearby areas often converge to assist the affected
community. Spontaneous volunteers are not affiliated with relief agencies but are in a …

We consider the problem of controlling a two-server Markovian queueing system with
heterogeneous servers. The servers are differentiated by their service rates and reliability …

A fundamental aspect of designing systems with dedicated servers is identifying and
improving the system bottlenecks. We extend the concept of a bottleneck to networks with …

Bucket brigades are notably used to coordinate workers in production systems. We study a J‐
station, I‐worker bucket brigade system. The time duration for each worker to serve a job at a …

We consider the allocation of reconfigurable resources in a serial line with machine failures.
Each station is equipped with non-idling dedicated servers while the whole system is …

Consider a system of queuing stations in tandem having both flexible servers (who are
capable of working at multiple stations) and dedicated servers (who can only work at the …

Various hospitals in the US and around the world suffer from the well-known problem of
Emergency Department (ED) overcrowding, which prevents them from serving their patients …

Abstract Machine maintenance is modeled in the setting of a single‐server queue. Machine
deterioration corresponds to slower service rates and failure. This leads to higher …