This work addresses the minimization of the makespan criterion for the flowshop scheduling problem with blocking. In this environment there are no buffers between successive machines, and therefore intermediate queues of jobs waiting in the system for their next operations are not allowed. We propose a lower bound which exploits the occurrence of blocking. A branch-and-bound algorithm that uses...

This paper reports on computational experiments involving optimal solutions to the flowshop tardiness problem. Of primary interest was a generic approach: solutions were obtained using a spreadsheet-based, mixed-integer programming code. However, the results compare favorably with those from a specially-tailored branch and bound algorithm. The main implication is that hardware and software have...

This paper proposes an iterated greedy algorithm for solving the blocking flowshop scheduling problem for makespan minimization. Moreover, it presents an improved NEH-based heuristic, which is used as the initial solution procedure for the iterated greedy algorithm. The effectiveness of both procedures was tested on some of Taillard’s benchmark instances that are considered to be blocking flows...

The flexible flowshop problem is a well known and common challenge. Extended with unrelated parallel machines and especially with the dynamic aspect of distributed release times, the problem gets very ‘close to reality’. Triggered by the growing complexity of logistic systems, the paradigm of central planning is being shifted to decentralised control. As part of this, an autonomous control conc...

This paper contains a complete and updated review of the literature for multiobjective flowshop problems which are among the most studied environments in the scheduling research area. No previous comprehensive reviews exist in the literature. Papers about lexicographical, goal programming, objective weighting and Pareto approaches have been reviewed. Exact, heuristic and metaheuristic methods h...

This paper focuses on minimizing the makespan of a multi-machine flowshop group-scheduling problem that is typically found in the assembly of printed circuit boards, which is characterized as one with carryover sequencedependent setup times. The intent is to minimize the makespan of schedules comprised of the sequence of board groups as well as the sequence of board types within each group. Spe...