Detailed scheduling for a class of two-stage intermittent manufacturing systems

Abstract

Abstract. Detailed scheduling of a class of intermittent two-stage manufacturing systems, found in the process industry, is considered. At the first stage of the manufacturing process, the products are manufactured; at the second, the manufactured products are packed in different formats. Between the two stages, there are intermediate storage facilities.

A multi-pass scheduling system is developed, within which two problems are formulated and solved. The first is that of scheduling the packing lines and the second is that of scheduling the manufacturing units along with the intermediate storage. A process of co-ordination, consisting of reformulating and solving the above two problems, is then iteratively and interactively carried out until a satisfactory overall schedule is achieved.

Notes

KHALID BELARBI is currently lecturing at the University of Constantine in Algeria. He graduated from the Ecole Polytechnique in Algiers in 1977 and worked for the Algerian Oil Company, subsequently moving to the University of Constantine as an assistant lecturer. In 1983, he began his studies at UMIST, obtaining an M. Sc. in 1984 and a Ph.D. in 1988.

KHALIL HINDI is a lecturer in computation at The University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST). He holds a B. Eng (1967) from the American University of Beirut, an M.Sc. (1973) and a Ph.D. (1976) from the University of Manchester. His current research interests are in the application of combinatorial optimization, AI planning and search techniques, and queuing network models to problems in engineering and production planning and control.