Flow sensors in newspaper production

The paper evaluates potential savings in a newspaper production operation achieved by reducing errors in flow sensor counts at stackers, where newspaper bundles are made for distribution to customers. The reduction in count errors is achieved by installing extra flow sensors at various transfer points in the production flow network and using their counts along with using the deducible information from flow conservation equations. As the product flows in the production network, more diversity within the product line is introduced due to variations in inserts. Stop rules for a product inflowing into multiple reservoirs are developed which would minimize expected over production. More precise projections for product completion times are generated, which allow timely corrective actions. State sensors are installed, which give real time information about state of each equipment as to whether it is in an operational or failed mode. Knowledge of the state of the system provides ability to promptly generate, on a real time basis, alternative system configuration substituting redundant operational units for the failed units.