The plant layout problem in automated manufacturing systems

The plant layout problem is usually formulated as a quadratic assignment problem (QAP). In this paper, the authors incorporate the throughput related aspects of the automated manufacturing system into the layout problem. They modify the QAP formulation by explicitly considering the throughput requirements of automated manufacturing systems. The present formulation also incorporates the cost of keeping a certain number of pallet-fixtures in the system. The resulting modified quadratice assignment problem (MQAP) is presented. An optimal solution method for MQAP is developed and its computational performance is evaluated.