BPSS: A Scheduling Support System for the Packaging Industry

Leonard Adler, Nelson Fraiman, Edward Kobacker, Michael Pinedo, Juan Carlos Plotnicoff and Tso Pang Wu
Additional contact information
Leonard Adler: International Paper, Hawthorne, New York
Nelson Fraiman: International Paper, Hawthorne, New York
Edward Kobacker: International Paper, Hawthorne, New York
Michael Pinedo: Columbia University, New York, New York
Juan Carlos Plotnicoff: International Paper, Hawthorne, New York
Tso Pang Wu: International Paper, Hawthorne, New York

Operations Research, 1993, vol. 41, issue 4, 641-648

Abstract: This paper describes a scheduling support system for plants that produce multiply paper bags. The machine environment in these plants may be described as a flexible flow shop. That is, there are a number of stages in series with a number of machines in parallel at each stage. The jobs have specified shipping dates as well as priorities; their processing times and setup times are known in advance. We developed a five-step algorithm that schedules all the jobs at the various stages. This algorithm has been incorporated in a system, the Bagpak Production Scheduling System (BPSS), which also contains a data base management module and a user interface module. The system has been implemented in two plants, and is used on a regular basis. It has increased considerably the accuracy of the available information regarding the production process. The scheduler, in conjunction with the system, is able to produce better schedules; he now always knows where given performance measures stand. In addition, the available information enables the scheduler to provide better service to customers.

Keywords: information systems: decision support systems; production/scheduling: applications; sequencing; multiple machines (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 1993
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