A layout design heuristic employing the theory of fuzzy sets

Abstract

This paper discusses various techniques for layout planning and outlines an application of fuzzy set techniques to the block layout design problem. In particular, a fuzzy linguistic heuristic for the location of the departments within a facility is proposed. This heuristic utilizes imprecise descriptors for two distinct design categories: closeness and importance, expressed in the form of fuzzy relations for every pair of departments. A numerical example is given to illustrate the proposed approach and directions for further research are discussed.