A corrected formulation for the double row layout problem

Abstract

This paper presents a corrected formulation to the mixed integer programming model of the double-row layout problem (DRLP), first proposed by Chung and Tanchoco (2010, The double row layout problem. International Journal of Production Research, 48 (3), 709–727). In the DRLP, machines are placed along two rows of a corridor, where the objective is to minimise the total cost of material handling for products that move between these machines. We highlight the errors in the original formulation, propose corrections to the formulation, and provide an analytical validation of the corrections.

Keywords:

• double-row layout problem
• facility layout
• machine layout
• mixed integer programming

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank the anonymous reviewer and Alice Smith, whose helpful comments have strengthened this work. This research was partially supported by the PhD Programs Foundation of Ministry of Education of China (No. 200806131014) and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (No. SWJTU09CX022, 2010ZT03).