Analyzing the effects of time lags on the makespan of a job shop production

The complexity of manufacturing companies' supply chains leaves them vulnerable to disruptions which often result in time lags such as supply delays and machine failures. This paper analyzes the effects of time lags for a job shop production, a typical production structure for environments with a high product variability. To determine these effects, the makespan is measured using discrete-event simulations. The results demonstrate that time lags increase the makespan of a job shop production in a nonlinear manner depending on the time lag duration and the number of affected elements.