Detailed scheduling for a class of two-stage intermittent manufacturing systems

Abstract

Abstract Abstract. Detailed scheduling of a class of intermittent two-stage manufacturing systems, found in the process industry, is considered. At the first stage of the manufacturing process, the products are manufactured; at the second, the manufactured products are packed in different formats. Between the two stages, there are intermediate storage facilities. A multi-pass scheduling system is developed, within which two problems are formulated and solved. The first is that of scheduling the packing lines and the second is that of scheduling the manufacturing units along with the intermediate storage. A process of co-ordination, consisting of reformulating and solving the above two problems, is then iteratively and interactively carried out until a satisfactory overall schedule is achieved.