Multi-objective sequence dependent setup times permutation flowshop: A new algorithm and a comprehensive study

The permutation flowshop scheduling problem has been thoroughly studied in recent decades, both from single objective as well as from multi-objective perspectives. To the best of our knowledge, little has been done regarding the multi-objective flowshop with Pareto approach when sequence dependent setup times are considered. As setup times and multi-criteria problems are important in industry, we must focus on this area. We propose a simple, yet powerful algorithm for the sequence dependent setup times flowshop problem with several criteria. The presented method is referred to as Restarted Iterated Pareto Greedy or RIPG and is compared against the best performing approaches from the relevant literature. Comprehensive computational and statistical analyses are carried out in order to demonstrate that the proposed RIPG method clearly outperforms all other algorithms and, as a consequence, it is a state-of- art method for this important and practical scheduling problemThe authors thank the anonymous referees for their careful and detailed comments which have helped improve this manuscript considerably. This work is partially financed by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, under the projects "SMPA-Advanced Parallel Multiobjective Sequencing: Practical and Theorerical Advances" with reference DPI2008-03511/DPI and "RESULT-Realistic Extended Scheduling Using Light Techniques" with reference DPI2012-36243-C02-01 and by the Small and Medium Industry of the Generalitat Valenciana (IMPIVA) and by the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER) inside the R+D program "Ayudas dirigidas a Institutos Tecnologicos de la Red IMPIVA" during the year 2011, with project numbers IMDEEA/2011/142 and IMDEEA/2012/143.Ciavotta, M.; Minella, GG.; Ruiz García, R. (2013). Multi-objective sequence dependent setup times permutation flowshop: A new algorithm and a comprehensive study. European Journal of Operational Research. 227(2):301-313. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejor.2012.12.031S301313227

A bi-objective model for the single-machine scheduling problem with rejection cost and total tardiness minimization

We study the problem of scheduling jobs on a single machine with a rejection possibility, concurrently minimizing the total tardiness of the scheduled jobs and the total cost of the rejected ones. The model we consider is fully bi-objective, i.e. its aim is to enumerate the Pareto front. We tackle the problem both with and without the presence of hard deadlines. For the case without deadlines, we provide a pseudo-polynomial time algorithm, based on the dynamic program of Steiner and Zhang (2011), thereby proving that the problem is weakly NP-hard. For the case with deadlines, we propose a branch-and-bound algorithm and prove its efficiency by comparing it to an \u3b5-constrained approach on benchmark instances based on those proposed in the literature on similar problems

Visualising the Landscape of Multi-Objective Problems using Local Optima Networks

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from ACM via the DOI in this recordThe codebase for this paper is available at https://github.com/fieldsend/mo_lonsLocal optima networks (LONs) represent the landscape of optimisation problems. In a LON, graph vertices represent local optima in the search domain, their radii the basin sizes, and directed edges between vertices the ability to transit from one basin to another (with the edge width denoting how easy this is). Recently, a network construction approach inspired by LONs has been proposed for multi-objective problems which uses an undirected graph, representing mutually non-dominating solutions and neighbouring links, but not basin sizes. In contrast, here we introduce two formulations for multi/many-objective problems which are analogous to the traditional LON, using dominance-based hill-climbing to characterise the search domain. Each vertex represents a set of locally optimal solutions, with basins and ease of transition between them shown. These LONs vary depending on whether a point-based (dominance neutral optima) or set-based (Pareto local optima) representation is used to define mode construction. We illustrate these alternative formulations on some illustrative problems.We discuss some of the underlying computational issues in constructing LONs in a multiobjective as opposed to uni-objective problem domain, along with the inherent issue of neutrality — as each a vertex in these graphs almost invariably represents a set in our proposed constructs.Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC

A Single Machine Scheduling Problem with Individual Job Tardiness based Objectives

377-382A multi-objective scheduling problem with specified release times and due dates for individual tasks is analysed in this study. Distinct tardiness value of each task j comprises the part of the objective, while it is desired to identify all non-dominated solutions. Tardiness values for a total number of n tasks complete a single solution making it an n-objective scheduling problem. Tardiness is treated here as a task specific objective, being different in the usual scheduling context. A branch and bound procedure is proposed for individual tardiness of tasks in multi-objective contexts. The procedure is illustrated with an example. Active schedule enumeration scheme with depth-first strategy for branching is used in branching while two different bounding schemes are tested. However, an improved bounding scheme to find better-quality need to be developed. Procedure is found to perform well on small scale problems. For an n-objective problem like this, a more robust data structure may further improve the performance of the procedure

Design of Heuristic Algorithms for Hard Optimization

This open access book demonstrates all the steps required to design heuristic algorithms for difficult optimization. The classic problem of the travelling salesman is used as a common thread to illustrate all the techniques discussed. This problem is ideal for introducing readers to the subject because it is very intuitive and its solutions can be graphically represented. The book features a wealth of illustrations that allow the concepts to be understood at a glance. The book approaches the main metaheuristics from a new angle, deconstructing them into a few key concepts presented in separate chapters: construction, improvement, decomposition, randomization and learning methods. Each metaheuristic can then be presented in simplified form as a combination of these concepts. This approach avoids giving the impression that metaheuristics is a non-formal discipline, a kind of cloud sculpture. Moreover, it provides concrete applications of the travelling salesman problem, which illustrate in just a few lines of code how to design a new heuristic and remove all ambiguities left by a general framework. Two chapters reviewing the basics of combinatorial optimization and complexity theory make the book self-contained. As such, even readers with a very limited background in the field will be able to follow all the content

Genetic programming for manufacturing optimisation.

A considerable number of optimisation techniques have been proposed for the solution of problems associated with the manufacturing process. Evolutionary computation methods, a group of non-deterministic search algorithms that employ the concept of Darwinian strife for survival to guide the search for optimal solutions, have been extensively used for this purpose. Genetic programming is an evolutionary algorithm that evolves variable-length solution representations in the form of computer programs. While genetic programming has produced successful applications in a variety of optimisation fields, genetic programming methodologies for the solution of manufacturing optimisation problems have rarely been reported. The applicability of genetic programming in the field of manufacturing optimisation is investigated in this thesis. Three well-known problems were used for this purpose: the one-machine total tardiness problem, the cell-formation problem and the multiobjective process planning selection problem. The main contribution of this thesis is the introduction of novel genetic programming frameworks for the solution of these problems. In the case of the one-machine total tardiness problem genetic programming employed combinations of dispatching rules for the indirect representation of job schedules. The hybridisation of genetic programming with alternative search algorithms was proposed for the solution of more difficult problem instances. In addition, genetic programming was used for the evolution of new dispatching rules that challenged the efficiency of man-made dispatching rules for the solution of the problem. An integrated genetic programming - hierarchical clustering approach was proposed for the solution of simple and advanced formulations of the cell-formation problem. The proposed framework produced competitive results to alternative methodologies that have been proposed for the solution of the same problem. The evolution of similarity coefficients that can be used in combination with clustering techniques for the solution of cell-formation problems was also investigated. Finally, genetic programming was combined with a number of evolutionary multiobjective techniques for the solution of the multiobjective process planning selection problem. Results on test problems illustrated the ability of the proposed methodology to provide a wealth of potential solutions to the decision-maker

Particle Swarm Optimization

Particle swarm optimization (PSO) is a population based stochastic optimization technique influenced by the social behavior of bird flocking or fish schooling.PSO shares many similarities with evolutionary computation techniques such as Genetic Algorithms (GA). The system is initialized with a population of random solutions and searches for optima by updating generations. However, unlike GA, PSO has no evolution operators such as crossover and mutation. In PSO, the potential solutions, called particles, fly through the problem space by following the current optimum particles. This book represents the contributions of the top researchers in this field and will serve as a valuable tool for professionals in this interdisciplinary field

Réagir et s’adapter à son environnement: Concevoir des méthodes autonomes pour l’optimisation combinatoire à plusieurs objectifs

Large-scale optimisation problems are usually hard to solve optimally. Approximation algorithms such as metaheuristics, able to quickly find sub-optimal solutions, are often preferred. This thesis focuses on multi-objective local search (MOLS) algorithms, metaheuristics able to deal with the simultaneous optimisation of multiple criteria. As many algorithms, metaheuristics expose many parameters that significantly impact their performance. These parameters can be either predicted and set before the execution of the algorithm, or dynamically modified during the execution itself.While in the last decade many advances have been made on the automatic design of algorithms, the great majority of them only deal with single-objective algorithms and the optimisation of a single performance indicator such as the algorithm running time or the final solution quality. In this thesis, we investigate the relations between automatic algorithm design and multi-objective optimisation, with an application on MOLS algorithms.We first review possible MOLS strategies ans parameters and present a general, highly configurable, MOLS framework. We also propose MO-ParamILS, an automatic configurator specifically designed to deal with multiple performance indicators. Then, we conduct several studies on the automatic offline design of MOLS algorithms on multiple combinatorial bi-objective problems. Finally, we discuss two online extensions of classical algorithm configuration: first the integration of parameter control mechanisms, to benefit from having multiple configuration predictions; then the use of configuration schedules, to sequentially use multiple configurations.Les problèmes d’optimisation à grande échelle sont généralement difficiles à résoudre de façon optimale. Des algorithmes d’approximation tels que les métaheuristiques, capables de trouver rapidement des solutions sous-optimales, sont souvent préférés. Cette thèse porte sur les algorithmes de recherche locale multi-objectif (MOLS), des métaheuristiques capables de traiter l’optimisation simultanée de plusieurs critères. Comme de nombreux algorithmes, les MOLS exposent de nombreux paramètres qui ont un impact important sur leurs performances. Ces paramètres peuvent être soit prédits et définis avant l’exécution de l’algorithme, soit ensuite modifiés dynamiquement.Alors que de nombreux progrès ont récemment été réalisés pour la conception automatique d’algorithmes, la grande majorité d’entre eux ne traitent que d’algorithmes mono-objectif et l’optimisation d’un unique indicateur de performance. Dans cette thèse, nous étudions les relations entre la conception automatique d’algorithmes et l’optimisation multi-objective.Nous passons d’abord en revue les stratégies MOLS possibles et présentons un framework MOLS général et hautement configurable. Nous proposons également MO-ParamILS, un configurateur automatique spécialement conçu pour gérer plusieurs indicateurs de performance. Nous menons ensuite plusieurs études sur la conception automatique de MOLS sur de multiples problèmes combinatoires bi-objectifs. Enfin, nous discutons deux extensions de la configuration d’algorithme classique : d’abord l’intégration des mécanismes de contrôle de paramètres, pour bénéficier de multiples prédictions de configuration; puis l’utilisation séquentielle de plusieurs configurations