Continuous review inventory models where random lead time depends on lot size and reserved capacity

The processing time of large orders is, in many industries, longer than that of small orders. This renders supply lead times in such settings to be increasing in the order size. Yet that pattern is not reflected in existing inventory control models, especially those allowing for random lead times. This work aims at rectifying the situation. Our setting is an order-quantity/reorder-point model with backordering, where the shortage penalty is incurred per unit per unit time. The processing time of each unit is random; the processing time of a lot is correlated with its size. For the case where lead time is proportional to the lot size, we obtain a closed-form solution. That is, unlike the classical (Q, r) model (where lead time is independent of lot size), no iterations are required here. We also analyze a case where the processing time exhibits economies of scale in the lot size. Finally, we consider a situation where a customer can secure shorter processing times by reserving capacity at the supplier's manufacturing facility. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.