An application of fuzzy clustering to cellular manufacturing

A benchmark algorithm in the art of fuzzy clustering (fuzzy C-means) is tailored and implemented in the framework of group technology (GT) and cellular manufacturing (CM). The main purpose is to provide a paradigm for the complete exploitation of the flexibility underlying the GT and CM approaches, and for managing it in terms of fuzzy cells formation. The fuzzy methodology is here used in view of an optimization of job-shop scheduling. Fuzzy clustering is integrated in a strategy for minimum makespan scheduling, whose potential and limits are evaluated in a novel application in two case-studies.