We address the 3-Machine Assembly-Type Flowshop Scheduling Problem (3MAF). This problem is known to be NP-complete in the strong sense. We propose an exact branch and bound method based on a recursive enumeration of potential inputs and outputs of the machines. Using this algorithm, several large size instances have been solved to optimality.

The assembly flowshop scheduling problem has been addressed recently in the literature. There are many problems that can be modeled as assembly flowshop scheduling problems including queries scheduling on distributed database systems and computer manufacturing. The problem has been addressed with respect to either makespan or total completion time criterion in the literature. In this paper, we ...

The most general flowshop scheduling problem is also addressed in the literature as nonpermutation flowshop (NPFS). Current processors are able to cope with the (n!) m combinatorial complexity of non-permutation flowshop scheduling by metaheuristics. After briefly discussing the requirements for a manufacturing layout to be designed and modeled as non-permutation flowshop, a disjunctive graph (...

Integrated scheduling of distributed manufacturing operations has implications for supply chain optimization and requires further investigations to facilitate its application area various industry settings. This study extends the limited literature two-stage production-assembly problems offering a twofold contribution. First, an original mathematical extension, Distributed Two-Stage Assembly Fl...

The problem of m-machine permutation flowshop scheduling is considered in this paper. The objective is to minimize the makespan. The flowshop scheduling problem is a typical combinatorial optimization problem and has been proved to be strongly NP-hard. Hence, several heuristics and meta-heuristics were addressed by the researchers. In this paper, a discrete African wild dog algorithm is applied...

Two-machine flowshop scheduling to minimize makespan is one of the most well-known classical scheduling problems. Johnson's rule for solving this problem has been widely cited in the literature. We introduce in this paper the concept of composite job, which is an artificially constructed job with processing times such that it will incur the same amount of idle time on the second machine as that...

Abstract System-wide optimization of distributed manufacturing operations enables process improvement beyond the standalone and individual optimality norms. This study addresses production planning a system consisting three stages: parts (subcomponents), assembly components in Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) factories, final products at product manufacturer’s factory. Distributed Three St...

In this paper, we propose different local search algorithms to solve a realistic variant of the flowshop problem. The variant considered here is a hybrid flexible flowshop problem with sequence-dependent setup times, and with the objective of minimizing the total tardiness. In this variant of flowshop, stage skipping might occur, i.e., not all stages must be visited by all jobs. This scheduling...