Article ID: | iaor2005901 |
Country: | Netherlands |
Volume: | 131 |
Issue: | 1 |
Start Page Number: | 215 |
End Page Number: | 235 |
Publication Date: | Oct 2004 |
Journal: | Annals of Operations Research |
Authors: | Pacciarelli Dario, Meloni Carlo, Pranzo Marco |
Keywords: | heuristics |
In this paper we deal with solution algorithms for a general formulation of the job shop problem, called alternative graph. We study in particular the job shop scheduling problem with blocking and/or no-wait constraints. Most of the key properties developed for solving the job shop problem with infinite capacity buffer do not hold in the more general alternative graph model. In this paper we report on an extensive study on the applicability of a metaheuristic approach, called rollout or pilot method. Its basic idea is a look-ahead strategy, guided by one or more subheuristics, called pilot heuristics. Our results indicate that this method is competitive and very promising for solving complex scheduling problems.