Hybrid approach for the integrated scheduling of production and transport processes along supply chains

Abstract

The rise of new information and communication technologies leads to enhanced information transparency in supply chains. In order to utilise the resulting potentials, novel scheduling approaches that are capable of processing large amounts of data and coping with dynamic disturbances of manufacturing and transport stages have to be developed. For this purpose, the paper at hand proposes a hybrid approach for the integrated scheduling of production and transport processes along supply chains. The procedure combines mixed integer linear programming, discrete event simulation and a genetic algorithm. Obtained results show a significant reduction in the number of late orders, substantiating that proper scheduling approaches combined with information visibility allow for operational improvements in manufacturing supply chains.

Keywords:

• simulation optimisation
• scheduling
• supply chains
• manufacturing
• transport

Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge the support of anonymous reviewers, which reviews and suggestions helped improving the quality and relevance of published paper.