Family scheduling with batch availability in flow shops to minimize makespan

Liji Shen () and Jatinder N. D. Gupta
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Liji Shen: WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management
Jatinder N. D. Gupta: University of Alabama in Huntsville

Journal of Scheduling, 2018, vol. 21, issue 2, No 8, 235-249

Abstract: Abstract This paper addresses a batch scheduling problem in flow shop production systems, where job families are formed based on setup similarities. In order to improve setup efficiency, we consider batching decisions in our solution procedure. Due to its high practical relevance, the batch availability assumption is also adopted in this study. In the presence of sequence-dependent setup times, it is proved that a permutation flow shop is generally not optimal. Therefore, our objective is to determine solutions with inconsistent batches, which essentially lead to non-permutation schedules, to minimize makespan. After examining structural properties, we develop a tabu search algorithm with multiple neighbourhood functions. Computational results confirm the remarkable benefits of batching decisions. Our algorithm also outperforms some well-known and well-performing approaches.

Keywords: Batching; Scheduling; Sequence dependency; Tabu search; Batch availability; Inconsistent batches (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
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DOI: 10.1007/s10951-017-0529-x

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