Applications of Queuing Models
1. Business
Queuing theory has been applied to a wide variety of business situations. All situations where customers are involved such as restaurants, cafeterias, departmental stores, cinema halls etc. Generally, the customer expects a certain level of service, whereas the firm providing service facility tries to keep the costs minimum while providing the required service.
2. Manufacturing units
Waiting line theory is also widely used by manufacturing units. It has been popularly used in the area of tool cribs. There is a general complaint from the foremen that their workmen wait too long in line for tools and parts. Though the management wants to reduce the overhead charges, engaging more attendants can actually reduce overall manufacturing costs, since the workers will be working instead of standing in line.
3. Hospitals
A queuing system helps minimizing the waiting time of patients and maximizing the utilization of the servers i.e. doctors, nurses, hospital beds etc. Queuing is not new but recently hospitals has begun to use it effectively.
4. Traffic System
The vehicular traffic flow and explore could be minimized using queuing theory in order to reduce the delay on the roads. It can be used to determine the best times of the red, amber, and green lights to be either on or off in order to reduce traffic congestion on the roads. Queuing also helps to reduce fuel consumption thereby saving money for the Government to tackle problem of other sectors of the economy.
5. Banking
Bank is an example of unlimited queue length . It is very useful to avoid standing in a queue for a long time or in a wrong line and to give tickets to all customers. Queuing is used to generate a sequence of customers’ arrival time and to choose randomly between three different services: open an account, transaction, and balance, with different period of time for each service.
6. Maintenance of Machines
Queuing methods have also been used for the problem of machine breakdowns and repairs. There are a number of machines that breakdown individually and at random times. The machines that breakdown form a waiting line for repairs by maintenance personnel and it is required to find the optimum number of repair personnel which makes the sum of the cost of repairmen and the cost of production loss from downtime, a minimum.
7. Library Management
A library means gathering of books, further written materials, and in a few cases particular materials such as manuscripts, pictures and extra sources of information. Its collections be able to be published, auditory, or diagrammatic materials, together with maps, prints, documents, micro form audio-books, video games, audio tape, videotapes, CDs, DVDs, , and various further many variety of electronic source. Queuing theory can be used in Library to solve the intricate problem of circulation of book, counter service and allied services reprography etc.
8. Toll Plaza
The biggest disadvantage of building a toll plaza is that it increases the traffic on highway. Queuing Theory can be used to draw the possible solutions to increase the efficiency in order to reduce the waiting time of the customers and their money as well. It can be used to improve the traffic capacity by considering vehicles arrival time, service time, departure time and the number of toll booths.