Fixed and Flexible Shape Facility Layout Problems using Biogeography-Based Optimization Algorithm

Abstract

For any manufacturing and production industry to be efficient in terms of revenue, the layout of the industry must be arranged to minimise the total material handling and transporting cost of that industry. All the facilities, machines, storage, etc. are allocated in the layout in an optimum manner. While designing a layout, the planner has to allocate equal or unequal shape facilities on the available layout space to minimise the distance between the facilities which are having maximum material flow. The problem concerned with assigning facilities to the floor is mentioned as facility layout problem (FLP). This paper focuses on unequal area FLPs with fixed shape and flexible shape facilities. Biogeography-based optimisation (BBO) algorithm is one of the metaheuristic methods emerged in recent times to cope with various optimisation problems. Therefore, BBO is considered to solve unequal are FLPs. The results obtained using BBO algorithm are compared and found better than previous known results.