We are happy to invite you to the 11th Conference on Stochastic Models of Manufacturing and Service Operations – SMMSO 2017. The conference is organized by the Politecnico di Milano, Department of Mechanical Engineering, ITIA-CNR and the University of Salento, Dipartimento di Ingegneria dell’Innovazione and will be held at the Double Tree by Hilton Acaya Golf Resort in Acaya (Lecce), Italy, in June 4-9, 2017.

SMMSO 2017 is the eleventh in a row of successful conferences held every other year since 1997 in Europe. The conferences started in Greece (1997, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2005) and moved to other countries (Netherlands, 2007, Italy, 2009, Turkey, 2011, and Germany, 2013) after returning to Greece in 2015. The conference names slightly varied from year to year before the name SMMSO was established in 2009, during the first Italian edition of the conference. In 2017, SMMSO returns to Italy with a rich program bridging research and practice in manufacturing and service operations. For more information on past SMMSO conferences and publications, visit smmso.org.

The aim of SMMSO 2017 is to present state-of-the art research results in the development and analysis of stochastic models for the design, management, and control of manufacturing and service system operations that are subject to unpredictable variations and disruptions. In particular, the role of modeling and advanced analytics for the analysis of manufacturing systems in the era of Industry 4.0 and cyber-physical systems will be discussed in cooperation with industrial stakeholders and also with reference to the most recent research projects funded in this field. Typical topics covered in SMMSO 2017 include, but are not limited to:

• Performance Analysis: Decomposition, queueing theory, Markov processes, exact and heuristic methods and simulation.
• Production Systems: Flow, transfer, and Bernoulli lines, material handling systems, open, closed, and mixed queueing network models.
• Supply Chains: Bullwhip effect, cross-docking, transportation systems.
• Production and Inventory Control: Part-release mechanisms, make-to-order/make-to-stock, push/pull systems, base stock, lean manufacturing, lead times, lot sizing.
• Quality Control: Inspection stations, defects, machine failures, quality information feedback.
• Energy and Environment: Sustainability, recycling, and waste management.
• Optimization: Buffers, servers, workload allocation, and routing.
• Sequencing and Scheduling: Job shops, open shops, admission control, release dates.
• Engineering Economy and Finance: Evaluating alternatives, amortization, cost analysis, and cost savings.

The format of SMMSO 2017 is identical to that of the previous SMMSO conferences:

• Papers are presented in single-track sessions spread over multiple days. Sufficient time is allocated to meet and discuss research.
• A distinguished invited speaker opens the conference with a keynote talk.
• Social events are also part of the program.

This format played a significant role to form a network of researchers specializing in stochastic modeling of manufacturing and service systems.