Continuous-review inventory problem with random supply interruptions

This paper considers a continuous-review stochastic inventory problem with random demand and random lead-time where supply may be disrupted due to machine breakdowns, strikes or other randomly occurring events. The supplier availability is modelled as a semi-Markov process (more specifically, as an alternating renewal process). The standard (q, r) policy is used when the supplier is available (ON), i.e., when the inventory position reaches the reorder point r, q units are ordered to raise the inventory position to the target level of R = q + r. The form of the policy changes when the supplier becomes unavailable (OFF) in which case orders cannot be placed when the reorder point r is reached. However, as soon as the supplier becomes available again one orders enough to bring the inventory position up to the target level of R. The regenerative cycles are identified by observing the inventory position process. We construct the average cost per time objective function using the renewal reward theorem. It is assumed that the duration of the ON period is E-k (i.e., k-stage Erlangian) and the OFF period is general. In analogy with queuing notation we call this an E-k/G system. By employing the 'method of stages', we obtain a problem with a larger state space for the ON/OFF stochastic process; but the resulting ON process can now be analyzed using Markovian techniques. For asymptotic values of q, the objective function assumes a particularly simple form which is shown to be convex under mild restrictions on the density functions of demand. Numerical examples illustrate the results. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.