Integrated manufacturing planning for an automated guided vehicle-based flexible manufacturing system

This research aims at developing a manufacturing planning methodology for an AGV-based automated manufacturing system by simultaneously dealing with material processing and transportation functions. The integrated planning model is developed through identification and analysis of complex interactions between material processing and transportation functions. Also, a solution method is developed by decomposing the integrated planning model into two smaller subproblems, a machine selection and operations sequencing and flexible guidepath design, and alternately solving these two subproblems. An example problem is solved to present the solution procedure to apply the proposed solution method.