An overhead trolley conveyor is used to transport assemblies within an assembly department.

There are three loading stations in the assembly department and one unloading station. The trolley conveyor has 83 carriers, equally spaced around the conveyor, with 20 separation between carriers. The material flow patterns for the workstations follow:

{ f1(n)}  (1, 0, 0); { f2(n)}  (0, 2, 0); { f3(n)}  (0, 0, 1); { f4(n)}  (0, 4, 0)

a. Determine the value of H3(2).

b. Determine the value of B and the amount of inventory on the conveyor. Estimate the inventory on the conveyor by summing the Hi(n) values for all i and n.

c. Suppose the unload sequence can be changed to {f4(n)}  (0, a, b), where a 
b  4. What integer values of a and b will minimize the value of B ?

d. Suppose the work performed by the first and third loading stations is combined to yield two loading stations and one unloading station with the following sequences:
{ f1(n)}  (1, 0, 1); { f2(n)}  (0, 2, 0); { f3(n)}  (0, 4, 0)
What, if anything, will be the impact on the value of B ?