The ‘clear-the-largest-work-after-setup’ heuristic for single machine scheduling problem

A model for real-time control of flexible manufacturing systems is considered. In this model, a machine can process a finite number of part types at specified rates, but only one part type can be processed at any given time. Each switch from one type to another requires setup time. The clear-the-largest-work-after-setup (CLWS) heuristic policy which stabilizes the system in the sense that, in the long run, the required demand is met, has been introduced. That way, a better upper bound on the total work backlog than those available in earlier literature is derived. Computational results for the case of finite horizon show that the error of the heuristic CLWS from the optimal solution is 2.5–3.0% on average. Some computational results that compare the CLWS heuristic to the heuristic available in the earlier literature, for the same problem, are also reported.