Mathematical Modeling and Solving Flow Shop Scheduling Problem in a Reconfigurable Material Handling System

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 PhD Student in Industrial Engineering, Department of Industrial Engineering, Faculty of Engineering Alzahra University, Tehran, Iran

2 Professor, Department of Industrial Engineering, Faculty of Engineering Alzahra University, Tehran, Iran

3 Assistant Professor, Department of Industrial Engineering, Faculty of Industrial Engineering, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

4 Assistant Professor, Business Analytics and Operations, Centre of Digital Economy, Surrey Business School, University of Surrey, Guildford, England

10.22084/ier.2025.30818.2201

Abstract

In response to significant fluctuations in product demand, manufacturing companies must adopt efficient systems that enable rapid market responsiveness. The reconfigurable manufacturing system (RMS) emerges as a novel paradigm, emphasizing both responsiveness and operational effectiveness. A critical component of this manufacturing approach is the integration of reconfigurable material handling equipment, such as robots. This research presents a mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) model for scheduling a permutation flow shop production line, specifically addressing the use of reconfigurable robots for material handling in a multi-product environment to minimize makespan (Cmax). The model has been implemented in GAMS 33.2.0 with the CPLEX solver, and its performance has been evaluated through numerical experiments.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

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Journal of Industrial Engineering Research in Production Systems
Volume 12, Issue 25
March 2025
Pages 155-167

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