A multiple-criteria real-time scheduling approach for multiple-load carriers subject to LIFO loading constraints

Abstract

This paper studies the problem of scheduling a multiple-load carrier subject to last-in-first-out loading constraints in an automobile assembly line. Two scheduling criteria, the throughput of the assembly line and the material handling distance, are considered in order to maximise the profit of the assembly line. Different from other studies, the product mix and weights of the scheduling criteria are considered to be variable. A scheduling approach is proposed for the problem. At moments when the product mix or weights of the scheduling criteria change, the scheduling approach can select an appropriate rule from a set of given rules. In this study, the proposed approach is compared with other approaches by simulation in order to verify the performance of the proposed approach. The results indicate that, when the product mix and weights of the scheduling criteria are variable, the proposed scheduling approach outperforms other approaches.

Keywords:

• materials handling
• neural network applications
• multi-criteria decision making
• scheduling

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Science Foundation of China under grant Nos. 71071115, 70771065 and 50905114.