Question: A six-station assembly machine has an ideal cycle time = 9 sec. The cost of individual components is low, and the fraction defect rate at each of the six stations is q = 0.02. When a breakdown occurs, it takes an average of 2 min for the system to be put back into operation. A decision must be made whether the system should be operated under memory control or instantaneous control. For both of these strategies, determine: (a) production rate of good assemblies. (b) yield of good product (proportion of final assemblies containing no defective components), and (c) proportion of uptime of the assembly system. Which control would you recommend and why?