A genetic algorithm method for one-dimensional machine location problems

One goal of designing a generalized flow line is to minimize the backtracking of jobs, i.e., to assign M machines to M locations along a linear track to minimize the total backtracking movements of jobs. It can be formulated as a quadratic assignment problem which is a difficult task to solve. In this paper, a genetic algorithm method is proposed and compared with some other methods. It is shown that the genetic algorithm method can find good quality solution effectively.