Metaheuristics for the Integrated Machine Allocation and Layout Problem (IMALP)

The Integrated Machine Allocation and Layout Problem (IMALP) is the problem of assigning a set of machines (including machine replicas) to locations while assigning product flows to machines such that Material Handling Cost is minimised. A new mathematical formulation, a Tabu Search (TS) heuristic, and a Memetic Algorithm (MA) are presented for the IMALP. The algorithms were evaluated using a set of test problems available in the literature. TS and the MA obtained equal or better solutions for the dataset than previous techniques presented in the literature. More specifically, TS obtained better solutions in 47% of the instances, and MA improved the best known solution in 52.4% of the cases. As a result, MA out‐performed TS with respect to solution quality and computation time.