Scheduling For Flexibility

Scheduling for Flexibility

Flexibility and Robustness in Scheduling

Scheduling is a broad research area and scheduling problems arise from several application domains (production systems, logistic, computer science, etc.). Solving scheduling problems requires tools of combinatorial optimization, exact or approximated algorithms. Flexibility is at the frontier between predictive deterministic approaches and reactive or "on-line" approaches. The purpose of flexibility is to provide one or more solutions adapted to the context of the application in order to provide the ideal solution. This book focuses on the integration of flexibility and robustness considerations in the study of scheduling problems. After considering both flexibility and robustness, it then covers various scheduling problems, treated with an emphasis on flexibility or robustness, or both.

Production Planning and Scheduling in Flexible Assembly Systems

The book familiarizes the reader with the flexible assembly systems planning and scheduling issues and various operations research modelling and solution approaches. Some of the many topic highlights presented are the overall structure and components of a flexible assembly system, bi-objective integer programming models and algorithms for machine loading, assembly routing, and assembly plan selection, and fast combinatorial heuristics for scheduling flexible assembly lines with limited intermediate buffers. Also the book deals with just-in-time scheduling of flexible assembly lines, and dynamic dispatching algorithms for simultaneous scheduling of assembly stations and automated guided vehicles.