The Quadratic Assignment Problem (QAP) is the problem of making exclusive assignments of n indivisible entities to n other indivisible entities in such a way that a total quadratic interaction cost is minimized. The problem can be interpreted from a wide variety of perspectives. The perspective adopted in this paper is that of the generic facilities location/layout context, as in the seminal wo...

The paper presents the main design concepts of a hyper-flexible cell for low-volume industrial aircraft manufacturers. The cell is served by two cooperative robots, each of them equipped with a simple and reliable adaptive prehensor, purposely developed for the robust handling of limp carbon-fiber preforms. Some details are given about the adopted picking technology and results obtained on a pu...

This paper presents the findings of a study with a Unilever bottle-filling plant and its key bottle supplier, ALPLA. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the complexity associated with before and after integration. The nature of the complexity alters as the supplier-customer relationship changes, in this case from pre-integration to post-integration system. The areas in which complexity ...

Abstract Applying machine learning methods to improve the efficiency of complex manufacturing processes, such as material handling, can be challenging. The interconnectedness multiple components that make up real-world processes and typically very large number variables required specify procedures plans within them combine it difficult map details a formal mathematical representation suitable f...