A hybrid algorithm for flexible job-shop scheduling problem with setup times

[EN] Job-shop scheduling problem is one of the most important fields in manufacturing optimization where a set of n jobs must be processed on a set of m specified machines. Each job consists of a specific set of operations, which have to be processed according to a given order. The Flexible Job Shop problem (FJSP) is a generalization of the above-mentioned problem, where each operation can be processed by a set of resources and has a processing time depending on the resource used. The FJSP problems cover two difficulties, namely, machine assignment problem and operation sequencing problem. This paper addresses the flexible job-shop scheduling problem with sequence-dependent setup times to minimize two kinds of objectives function: makespan and bi-criteria objective function. For that, we propose a hybrid algorithm based on genetic algorithm (GA) and variable neighbourhood search (VNS) to solve this problem. To evaluate the performance of our algorithm, we compare our results with other methods existing in literature. All the results show the superiority of our algorithm against the available ones in terms of solution quality.Azzouz, A.; Ennigrou, M.; Ben Said, L. (2017). A hybrid algorithm for flexible job-shop scheduling problem with setup times. International Journal of Production Management and Engineering. 5(1):23-30. doi:10.4995/ijpme.2017.6618SWORD233051Allahverdi, A. (2015). The third comprehensive survey on scheduling problems with setup times/costs. European Journal of Operational Research, 246(2), 345-378. doi:10.1016/j.ejor.2015.04.004Azzouz, A., Ennigrou, M., & Jlifi, B. (2015). Diversifying TS using GA in Multi-agent System for Solving Flexible Job Shop Problem. Proceedings of the 12th International Conference on Informatics in Control, Automation and Robotics. doi:10.5220/0005511000940101Azzouz, A., Ennigrou, M., Jlifi, B., & Ghedira, K. (2012). Combining Tabu Search and Genetic Algorithm in a Multi-agent System for Solving Flexible Job Shop Problem. 2012 11th Mexican International Conference on Artificial Intelligence. doi:10.1109/micai.2012.12Bagheri, A., & Zandieh, M. (2011). Bi-criteria flexible job-shop scheduling with sequence-dependent setup times—Variable neighborhood search approach. Journal of Manufacturing Systems, 30(1), 8-15. doi:10.1016/j.jmsy.2011.02.004Brandimarte, P. (1993). Routing and scheduling in a flexible job shop by tabu search. Annals of Operations Research, 41(3), 157-183. doi:10.1007/bf02023073Cheung, W., & Zhou, H. (2001). Annals of Operations Research, 107(1/4), 65-81. doi:10.1023/a:1014990729837Fattahi, P., Saidi Mehrabad, M., & Jolai, F. (2007). Mathematical modeling and heuristic approaches to flexible job shop scheduling problems. Journal of Intelligent Manufacturing, 18(3), 331-342. doi:10.1007/s10845-007-0026-8González, M. A., Rodriguez Vela, C., Varela, R. (2013). An efficient memetic algorithm for the flexible job shop with setup times. In Twenty-Third International Conference on Automated, pp. 91-99.Hurink, J., Jurisch, B., & Thole, M. (1994). Tabu search for the job-shop scheduling problem with multi-purpose machines. OR Spektrum, 15(4), 205-215. doi:10.1007/bf01719451Imanipour, N. (2006). Modeling&Solving Flexible Job Shop Problem With Sequence Dependent Setup Times. 2006 International Conference on Service Systems and Service Management. doi:10.1109/icsssm.2006.320680KIM, S. C., & BOBROWSKI, P. M. (1994). Impact of sequence-dependent setup time on job shop scheduling performance. International Journal of Production Research, 32(7), 1503-1520. doi:10.1080/00207549408957019Moghaddas, R., Houshmand, M. (2008). Job-shop scheduling problem with sequence dependent setup times. Proceedings of the International MultiConference of Engineers and Computer Scientists,2, 978-988.Mousakhani, M. (2013). Sequence-dependent setup time flexible job shop scheduling problem to minimise total tardiness. International Journal of Production Research, 51(12), 3476-3487. doi:10.1080/00207543.2012.746480Naderi, B., Zandieh, M., & Fatemi Ghomi, S. M. T. (2008). Scheduling sequence-dependent setup time job shops with preventive maintenance. The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology, 43(1-2), 170-181. doi:10.1007/s00170-008-1693-0Najid, N. M., Dauzere-Peres, S., & Zaidat, A. (s. f.). A modified simulated annealing method for flexible job shop scheduling problem. IEEE International Conference on Systems, Man and Cybernetics. doi:10.1109/icsmc.2002.1176334Nouiri, M., Bekrar, A., Jemai, A., Niar, S., & Ammari, A. C. (2015). An effective and distributed particle swarm optimization algorithm for flexible job-shop scheduling problem. Journal of Intelligent Manufacturing, 29(3), 603-615. doi:10.1007/s10845-015-1039-3Oddi, A., Rasconi, R., Cesta, A., & Smith, S. (2011). Applying iterative flattening search to the job shop scheduling problem with alternative resources and sequence dependent setup times. In COPLAS 2011 Proceedings of the Workshopon Constraint Satisfaction Techniques for Planning and Scheduling Problems, pp. 15-22.Pezzella, F., Morganti, G., & Ciaschetti, G. (2008). A genetic algorithm for the Flexible Job-shop Scheduling Problem. Computers & Operations Research, 35(10), 3202-3212. doi:10.1016/j.cor.2007.02.014Sadrzadeh, A. (2013). Development of Both the AIS and PSO for Solving the Flexible Job Shop Scheduling Problem. Arabian Journal for Science and Engineering, 38(12), 3593-3604. doi:10.1007/s13369-013-0625-ySaidi-Mehrabad, M., & Fattahi, P. (2006). Flexible job shop scheduling with tabu search algorithms. The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology, 32(5-6), 563-570. doi:10.1007/s00170-005-0375-4Vilcot, G., & Billaut, J.-C. (2011). A tabu search algorithm for solving a multicriteria flexible job shop scheduling problem. International Journal of Production Research, 49(23), 6963-6980. doi:10.1080/00207543.2010.526016Shi-Jin, W., Bing-Hai, Z., & Li-Feng, X. (2008). A filtered-beam-search-based heuristic algorithm for flexible job-shop scheduling problem. International Journal of Production Research, 46(11), 3027-3058. doi:10.1080/00207540600988105Wang, S., & Yu, J. (2010). An effective heuristic for flexible job-shop scheduling problem with maintenance activities. Computers & Industrial Engineering, 59(3), 436-447. doi:10.1016/j.cie.2010.05.016Zandieh, M., Yazdani, M., Gholami, M., & Mousakhani, M. (2009). A Simulated Annealing Algorithm for Flexible Job-Shop Scheduling Problem. Journal of Applied Sciences, 9(4), 662-670. doi:10.3923/jas.2009.662.670Zambrano Rey, G., Bekrar, A., Prabhu, V., & Trentesaux, D. (2014). Coupling a genetic algorithm with the distributed arrival-time control for the JIT dynamic scheduling of flexible job-shops. International Journal of Production Research, 52(12), 3688-3709. doi:10.1080/00207543.2014.881575Zhang, G., Gao, L., & Shi, Y. (2011). An effective genetic algorithm for the flexible job-shop scheduling problem. Expert Systems with Applications, 38(4), 3563-3573. doi:10.1016/j.eswa.2010.08.145Zhang, G., Shao, X., Li, P., & Gao, L. (2009). An effective hybrid particle swarm optimization algorithm for multi-objective flexible job-shop scheduling problem. Computers & Industrial Engineering, 56(4), 1309-1318. doi:10.1016/j.cie.2008.07.021Zhou, Y., Li, B., & Yang, J. (2005). Study on job shop scheduling with sequence-dependent setup times using biological immune algorithm. The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology, 30(1-2), 105-111. doi:10.1007/s00170-005-0022-0Ziaee, M. (2013). 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Algorithms for Scheduling Problems

This edited book presents new results in the area of algorithm development for different types of scheduling problems. In eleven chapters, algorithms for single machine problems, flow-shop and job-shop scheduling problems (including their hybrid (flexible) variants), the resource-constrained project scheduling problem, scheduling problems in complex manufacturing systems and supply chains, and workflow scheduling problems are given. The chapters address such subjects as insertion heuristics for energy-efficient scheduling, the re-scheduling of train traffic in real time, control algorithms for short-term scheduling in manufacturing systems, bi-objective optimization of tortilla production, scheduling problems with uncertain (interval) processing times, workflow scheduling for digital signal processor (DSP) clusters, and many more

Reinforcement Learning Approach for Multi-Agent Flexible Scheduling Problems

Scheduling plays an important role in automated production. Its impact can be found in various fields such as the manufacturing industry, the service industry and the technology industry. A scheduling problem (NP-hard) is a task of finding a sequence of job assignments on a given set of machines with the goal of optimizing the objective defined. Methods such as Operation Research, Dispatching Rules, and Combinatorial Optimization have been applied to scheduling problems but no solution guarantees to find the optimal solution. The recent development of Reinforcement Learning has shown success in sequential decision-making problems. This research presents a Reinforcement Learning approach for scheduling problems. In particular, this study delivers an OpenAI gym environment with search-space reduction for Job Shop Scheduling Problems and provides a heuristic-guided Q-Learning solution with state-of-the-art performance for Multi-agent Flexible Job Shop Problems

A MILP model for an extended version of the Flexible Job Shop Problem

A MILP model for an extended version of the Flexible Job Shop Scheduling problem is proposed. The extension allows the precedences between operations of a job to be given by an arbitrary directed acyclic graph rather than a linear order. The goal is the minimization of the makespan. Theoretical and practical advantages of the proposed model are discussed. Numerical experiments show the performance of a commercial exact solver when applied to the proposed model. The new model is also compared with a simple extension of the model described by \"Ozg\"uven, \"Ozbakir, and Yavuz (Mathematical models for job-shop scheduling problems with routing and process plan flexibility, Applied Mathematical Modelling, 34:1539--1548, 2010), using instances from the literature and instances inspired by real data from the printing industry.Comment: 15 pages, 2 figures, 4 tables. Optimization Letters, 201

Partial flexible job shop scheduling considering preventive maintenance and priorities

[EN] In this paper, a new mathematical programming model is proposed for a partial flexible job shop scheduling problem with an integrated solution approach. The purpose of this model is the assignment of production operations to machines with the goal of simultaneously minimizing operating costs and penalties. These penalties include delayed delivery, deviation from a fixed time point for preventive maintenance, and deviation from the priorities of each machine. Considering the priorities for machines in partial flexible job shop scheduling problems can be a contribution in closer to the reality of production systems. For validation and evaluation of the effectiveness of the model, several numerical examples are solved by using the Baron solver in GAMS. Sensitivity analysis is performed for the model parameters. The results further indicate the relationship between scheduling according to priorities of each machine and production scheduling.Farahani, A.; Tohidi, H.; Khalaj, M.; Shoja, A. (2020). Partial flexible job shop scheduling considering preventive maintenance and priorities. WPOM-Working Papers on Operations Management. 11(2):27-48. https://doi.org/10.4995/wpom.v11i2.14187OJS274811

An Efficient Solution to the Mixed Shop Scheduling Problem Using a Modified Genetic Algorithm

The mixed job shop scheduling problem is one in which some jobs have fixed machine orders and other jobs may be processed in arbitrary orders. In past literature, optimal solutions have been proposed based on adaptations of classical solutions such as by Johnson, Thompson and Giffler among many others, by pseudopolynomial algorithms, by simulation, and by Genetic Algorithms (GA). GA based solutions have been proposed for flexible Job shops. This paper proposes a GA algorithm for the mixed job shop scheduling problem. The paper starts with an analysis of the characteristics of the so-called mixed shop problem. Based on those properties, a modified GA is proposed to minimize the makespan of the mixed shop schedule. In this approach, sample instances used as test data are generated under the constraints of shop scheduling problems. A comparison of our results based on benchmark data indicate that our modified GA provides an efficient solution for the mixed shop scheduling problem

An Enhanced Estimation of Distribution Algorithm for Energy-Efficient Job-Shop Scheduling Problems with Transportation Constraints

[EN] Nowadays, the manufacturing industry faces the challenge of reducing energy consumption and the associated environmental impacts. Production scheduling is an effective approach for energy-savings management. During the entire workshop production process, both the processing and transportation operations consume large amounts of energy. To reduce energy consumption, an energy-efficient job-shop scheduling problem (EJSP) with transportation constraints was proposed in this paper. First, a mixed-integer programming model was established to minimize both the comprehensive energy consumption and makespan in the EJSP. Then, an enhanced estimation of distribution algorithm (EEDA) was developed to solve the problem. In the proposed algorithm, an estimation of distribution algorithm was employed to perform the global search and an improved simulated annealing algorithm was designed to perform the local search. Finally, numerical experiments were implemented to analyze the performance of the EEDA. The results showed that the EEDA is a promising approach and that it can solve EJSP effectively and efficiently.This work was supported by the Natural Science Foundation of the Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions of China (No. 17KJB460018), the Innovation Foundation for Science and Technology of Yangzhou University (No. 2016CXJ020 and No. 2017CXJ018), Science and Technology Project of Yangzhou under (No. YZ2017278), Research Topics of Teaching Reform of Yangzhou University under (No. YZUJX2018-28B), and the Spanish Government (No. TIN2016-80856-R and No. TIN2015-65515-C4-1-R).Dai, M.; Zhang, Z.; Giret Boggino, AS.; Salido, MA. (2019). An Enhanced Estimation of Distribution Algorithm for Energy-Efficient Job-Shop Scheduling Problems with Transportation Constraints. Sustainability. 11(11):1-23. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11113085S1231111Wu, X., & Sun, Y. (2018). 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Computers & Industrial Engineering, 127, 240-252. doi:10.1016/j.cie.2018.12.020Zhang, M., Yan, J., Zhang, Y., & Yan, S. (2019). Optimization for energy-efficient flexible flow shop scheduling under time of use electricity tariffs. Procedia CIRP, 80, 251-256. doi:10.1016/j.procir.2019.01.062Li, J., Sang, H., Han, Y., Wang, C., & Gao, K. (2018). Efficient multi-objective optimization algorithm for hybrid flow shop scheduling problems with setup energy consumptions. Journal of Cleaner Production, 181, 584-598. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.02.004Lu, C., Gao, L., Li, X., Pan, Q., & Wang, Q. (2017). Energy-efficient permutation flow shop scheduling problem using a hybrid multi-objective backtracking search algorithm. Journal of Cleaner Production, 144, 228-238. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.01.011Fu, Y., Tian, G., Fathollahi-Fard, A. M., Ahmadi, A., & Zhang, C. (2019). Stochastic multi-objective modelling and optimization of an energy-conscious distributed permutation flow shop scheduling problem with the total tardiness constraint. Journal of Cleaner Production, 226, 515-525. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.04.046Schulz, S., Neufeld, J. S., & Buscher, U. (2019). A multi-objective iterated local search algorithm for comprehensive energy-aware hybrid flow shop scheduling. Journal of Cleaner Production, 224, 421-434. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.03.155Liu, Y., Dong, H., Lohse, N., Petrovic, S., & Gindy, N. (2014). An investigation into minimising total energy consumption and total weighted tardiness in job shops. Journal of Cleaner Production, 65, 87-96. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2013.07.060Liu, Y., Dong, H., Lohse, N., & Petrovic, S. (2016). A multi-objective genetic algorithm for optimisation of energy consumption and shop floor production performance. International Journal of Production Economics, 179, 259-272. doi:10.1016/j.ijpe.2016.06.019May, G., Stahl, B., Taisch, M., & Prabhu, V. (2015). Multi-objective genetic algorithm for energy-efficient job shop scheduling. International Journal of Production Research, 53(23), 7071-7089. doi:10.1080/00207543.2015.1005248Zhang, R., & Chiong, R. (2016). Solving the energy-efficient job shop scheduling problem: a multi-objective genetic algorithm with enhanced local search for minimizing the total weighted tardiness and total energy consumption. Journal of Cleaner Production, 112, 3361-3375. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2015.09.097Salido, M. A., Escamilla, J., Giret, A., & Barber, F. (2015). A genetic algorithm for energy-efficiency in job-shop scheduling. The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology, 85(5-8), 1303-1314. doi:10.1007/s00170-015-7987-0Masmoudi, O., Delorme, X., & Gianessi, P. (2019). Job-shop scheduling problem with energy consideration. 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Selected heuristic algorithms for solving job shop and flow shop scheduling problems

Importance of job shop and flow shop scheduling has increased to a high extent. Nowadays, each and every industry focuses largely on how to schedule their machine working, since it is an important factor which decides the net productivity. All manufacturing systems including flexible manufacturing system follow a planned schedule of machine operation depending on the demand criterion. With the increase in number of machines and jobs to be scheduled, complexity of the problem increases which demands the need of a proper scheduling technique. Here this thesis shows some of the essential methods of solving a job shop and flow shop scheduling problems. This thesis focuses on finding the most efficient way of scheduling in a flow shop environment with the help of heuristics algorithms that include Palmer’s algorithm, CDS algorithm and NEH algorithm. Comparison was also done between the various heuristics algorithms. For getting the optimum make span for job shop scheduling we have used branch and bound algorithm and shifting bottleneck algorithm. Basis input parameters are given in the problem which are then used for computing the make span. A C programming code was generated to find the optimum results of the scheduling problem

Metaheuristic strategies for scheduling problems with uncertainty

Scheduling problems have formed an important body of research during the last decades. A scheduling problem consists in scheduling a set of jobs {J1, . . . , Jn} on a set of physical resources or machines {M1, . . . , Mm}. Each job Ji is composed of m tasks or operations {θi1, . . . , θim} with processing time pij . At the same time, we usually have constraints that establish that two task belonging to the same job cannot overlap their execution in time and that each task requires the uninterrupted and exclusive use of one of the machines for its whole processing time. Depending on the additional constraints we define, we may obtain different families of problems. The most popular in the literature are the job shop (JSP), the open shop (OSP) and the flow shop (FSP) but there exists also variants of them as the flexible job shop (FJSP) among others. Commonly, the objective function to optimise is the earliest time in which all jobs can be finished or makespan. However many other objectives may be optimised, being the most popular the tardiness, the idleness and the total flow time. In classical scheduling problems all input data are assumed to be well defined and all constraints are assumed to be hard, which is not so common in real-life applications. To reduce the gap between theory and practice, this thesis focuses on solving scheduling problems considering that uncertainty and vagueness. For instance, we shall consider uncertain task durations as well as flexible due-date constraint

Scheduling of job shop, make-to-order industries with recirculation and assembly: discrete versus continuous time models

This work studies the performance of two Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP) models to solve scheduling problems in a flexible job shop environment with recirculation and assembly using a due-date-based objective function. The models convey different approaches both in the modelling of time (discrete and continuous approaches) as well as in the assignment of jobs to machines. The comparison is carried out for a job shop system considered closer to the industrial reality than the classical job shop problem of a single machine per operation that has been extensively studied in the literature, with the mould making industry providing the motivatin