Generalized cell formation: iterative versus simultaneous resolution with grouping genetic algorithm

For each industrial, lean manufacturing is “The method” to improve productivity and reduce cost. One of the tools for lean is cellular manufacturing. This technique reduces the factory to several small entities, which are easier to manage. The main difficulty of the cellular manufacturing is the creation of these small entities called cells. When the flexibility is used during the production process, two problems emerge. The first problem consists to solve a Resource Planning Problem in allocating the operations on a specific machine. The second problem concerns the Cell Formation Problem where the machines are grouped into cells. The algorithm proposed in this paper is based on a simultaneous resolution of two interdependent problems. This paper proves the efficiency of the simultaneous resolution comparing to the sequential resolution with iterations. To compare only the resolution way, a unique grouping genetic algorithm is used and adapted for both cases.