Synchronisation of production scheduling and shipment in an assembly flowshop

Abstract

This paper studies a synchronised scheduling problem of production simultaneity and shipment punctuality in a two-stage assembly flowshop system. Production simultaneity seeks to ensure all products belonging to a same customer order are simultaneously completed (at least as close as possible). Shipment punctuality attempts to satisfy orders’ individual shipment due dates. We provide two criteria, i.e. mean longest waiting duration and mean earliness and tardiness, for measuring production simultaneity and shipment punctuality, respectively. A synchronised scheduling model is developed by balancing the two criteria using linear weighted sum method. A modified genetic algorithm (GA) is then proposed for solving this model. Numerical studies demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach. The results indicate that considering production simultaneity can remarkably reduce finished products inventory. A prioritised weight combination interval for production simultaneity and shipment punctuality has been suggested. Production simultaneity is affected by the production system configuration, especially in peak seasons.

Keywords:

• synchronisation
• production simultaneity
• shipment punctuality
• assembly flowshop scheduling

Acknowledgements

Authors are grateful to the Zhejiang Provincial, Hangzhou Municipal and Lin'an City governments for partial financial supports. This work is also supported by HKSAR RGC GRF HKU 712112E, National Natural Science Foundation of China (51305376, 51275421) and the University of Hong Kong Small Project Fund.