Solution of a facility layout problem in a final assembly workshop using constraint programming

Today's global market is subject to high competition and many companies face the necessity of cost reduction. In this context, the current study focuses on the efficiency of manufacturing and, especially, on how industries can lay out their facilities taking into account investment and operating costs (logistic flow) to increase their efficiency. A model is proposed to resolve the facility layout of a final assembly workshop using constraint programming. Due to the complexity of the problem, a three-stage heuristic solution algorithm is derived from this model. This proposition has the particularity of integrating the basic investment and operating costs, and considers supply costs of component storages on the line sides. The method is detailed in a case study involving a carmaker final assembly workshop. Due to constraint programming flexibility, equivalent approaches can be applied to different facility layout contexts.