Article ID: | iaor2005187 |
Country: | United Kingdom |
Volume: | 42 |
Issue: | 15 |
Start Page Number: | 2941 |
End Page Number: | 2954 |
Publication Date: | Jan 2004 |
Journal: | International Journal of Production Research |
Authors: | Kim J.S., Gen M., Moon C. |
Keywords: | genetic algorithms |
The e-plant chain is an extension of the integration beyond a production site by means of improved distribution management, electronic data interchange and coordination of multiple plants. The present paper proposes an advanced planning and scheduling model for the e-plant chain. The advanced planning and scheduling is the most important function when supporting flexible planning and scheduling in the e-plant chain. The problem is formulated as a mixed integer-programming model. The model includes the main features of the system including flexible operations' sequences, resource requirements and alternative schedules. Since the problem is NP-hard, an intelligent search approach based on a genetic algorithm is developed. Numerical experiments show the proposed approach is satisfactory in its accuracy and efficiency.