The time and space assembly line balancing problem (TSALBP) is a realistic multiobjective version of assembly line balancing industrial problems involving the joint optimization of conflicting criteria such as the cycle time, the number of stations, and the area of these stations. However, the existing problem formulation does not consider the industrial scenario where the demand of a set of mi...

This research proposes a vigorous methodology based on the fuzzy set theory to improve the facility layout process. Using natural language, the fuzzy set theory is an appropriate tool for controlling complex systems such as facility planning. The closeness rating between departments in a plant depends on qualitative and quantitative factors. Some of these factors may have a greater effect on th...

This paper is concerned about the sequencing problems in pull production systems which are composed of one mixed-model assembly line and one flexible fabrication flow line with limited intermediate buffers. Two objectives are considered simultaneously: minimizing the total variation in parts consumption in the assembly line and minimizing the makespan in the fabrication line. The mathematical m...

During the past fifteen years, robot work cells have become a standard component of many industrial production systems. Up to now, the design of a robot work cell or a automated work station for a specific manufacturing process is a demanding task, although tools have been already developed for different design steps. The problem is that each tool is suitable only for one design step such as as...

Adjacencies stand at the beginning of a multitude of planning tasks. Especially in hospital planning they are essential for describing relationships between different organizational units – e.g. ‘close’, ‘distant’ or ‘neutral’. Mathematically, these terms map to relative weights between each pair of units in the range [-1, 1] which are put into a (symmetric) adjacency matrix. This matrix subseq...