An efficient genetic method for multi-objective continuous production scheduling in industrial internet of things

Continuous manufacturing is playing an increasingly important role in modern industry, while research on production scheduling mainly focuses on traditional batch processing scenarios. This paper provides an efficient genetic method to minimize energy cost, failure cost, conversion cost and tardiness cost involved in the continuous manufacturing. With the help of Industrial Internet of Things, a multi-objective optimization model is built based on acquired production and environment data. Compared with a conventional genetic algorithm, non-random initialization and elitist selection were applied in the proposed algorithm for better convergence speed. Problem specific constraints such as due date and precedence are evaluated in each generation. This method was demonstrated in the plant of a pasta manufacturer. In experiments of 71 jobs in a one-month window, near-optimal schedules were found with significant reductions in costs in comparison to the existing original schedule

Tabu search for ship routing and scheduling

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University, 20/12/2006.This thesis examines exact and heuristic approaches to solve the Ship Routing and Scheduling Problem (SRSP). The method was developed to address the problem of loading cargos for many customers using heterogeneous vessels. Constraints relate to delivery time windows imposed by customers, the time horizon by which all deliveries must be made and vessel capacities. The objective is to minimise the overall operation cost, where all customers are satisfied. Two types of routing and scheduling are considered, one called single-cargo problem, where only one cargo can be loaded into a ship, and the second type called multi-cargo problem, where multiple products can be carried on a ship to be delivered to different customers. The exact approach comprises two stages. In the first stage, a number of candidate feasible schedules is generated for each ship in the fleet. The second stage is to model the problem as a set partitioning problem (SPP) where the columns are the candidate feasible schedules obtained in the first stage. The heuristic approach uses Tabu Search (TS). Most of the TS operations, such as insert and swap moves, tenure, tabu list, intensification, and diversification are used. The results of a computational investigation are presented. Solution quality and execution time are explored with respect to problem size and parameters controlling the tabu search such as tenure and neighbourhood size. The results showed that the average of the solution gap between TS solution and SPP solution is up to 28% (for small problems) and up to 18% for large problems. However, obtaining an optimal solution requires a large amount of computer time to produce the solution compared to obtaining approximate solutions using the TS approach. The use of Tabu Search for SRSP is novel and the results indicate that it is viable approach for large problems

Tabu search for ship routing and scheduling

This thesis examines exact and heuristic approaches to solve the Ship Routing and Scheduling Problem (SRSP). The method was developed to address the problem of loading cargos for many customers using heterogeneous vessels. Constraints relate to delivery time windows imposed by customers, the time horizon by which all deliveries must be made and vessel capacities. The objective is to minimise the overall operation cost, where all customers are satisfied. Two types of routing and scheduling are considered, one called single-cargo problem, where only one cargo can be loaded into a ship, and the second type called multi-cargo problem, where multiple products can be carried on a ship to be delivered to different customers. The exact approach comprises two stages. In the first stage, a number of candidate feasible schedules is generated for each ship in the fleet. The second stage is to model the problem as a set partitioning problem (SPP) where the columns are the candidate feasible schedules obtained in the first stage. The heuristic approach uses Tabu Search (TS). Most of the TS operations, such as insert and swap moves, tenure, tabu list, intensification, and diversification are used. The results of a computational investigation are presented. Solution quality and execution time are explored with respect to problem size and parameters controlling the tabu search such as tenure and neighbourhood size. The results showed that the average of the solution gap between TS solution and SPP solution is up to 28% (for small problems) and up to 18% for large problems. However, obtaining an optimal solution requires a large amount of computer time to produce the solution compared to obtaining approximate solutions using the TS approach. The use of Tabu Search for SRSP is novel and the results indicate that it is viable approach for large problems.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Green Logistics Oriented Framework for the Integrated Scheduling of Production and Distribution Networks - A Case of the Batch Process Industry

Nowadays, most consumable goods are produced and transported in batches. Within the globalized environment, the flow of these batches is raising dramatically to satisfy the recurrent demands of the increasing population. Planning the flow of these batches from suppliers to customers, through dynamic logistics systems, has a high degree of uncertainties on supply chain related decisions. In order to respond effectively and efficiently to these uncertainties, the supply chain network has to be redesigned, considering the economic and environmental requirements. To handle these requirements sustainably, green logistics is a promising approach. However, there is a lack of green logistics models which integrate both the production and distribution decisions within the batch process industries. This research develops a green logistics oriented framework in the case of the batch process industry. The framework integrates the tactical and operational levels of planning and scheduling to generate the optimum production and distribution decisions. A two-stage stochastic programming model is formulated to design and manage batch supply chain. This is a mixed-integer linear program of the two-stage stochastic production-distribution model with economic-environmental objectives. The first stage is concerned with optimum schedules of the production and distribution of the required batches. The second stage subsequently generates the optimum delivering velocities for the optimal distribution routes which are resulted from the first stage. Carbon emissions under uncertainties are incorporated as a function of random delivery velocities at different distribution routes within the network of the supply chain. To examine the applicability of the developed framework, the model is verified and validated through four theoretical scenarios as well as two real world case studies of multi-national batch process industries. The results of the analysis provide some insights results into supply chain costs and emissions. Based on the results, savings of about 43 percent of the total related economic and environmental costs were achieved compared to the actual situation at the case study companies. Cost savings mean long-term profitability, which is essential to sustain a worldwide competitive advantage. Furthermore, the stochastic and expected value solutions are compared in several scenarios. The stochastic solutions are consistently better with respect to costs and emissions. Calculations indicate that up to 13 percent of total cost savings are achieved when a stochastic approach is used to solve the problem as opposed to an expected value approach. The proposed framework supports academic green logistics models and real world supply chain decision making in batch process industry. Building such a framework provides a practical tool which links being green and being economically successful