No-wait open shop with worker flexibility

Abstract

The Open Shop Problem is a Production Scheduling problem where jobs do not have predestined processing routes, which increases the solution space and, therefore, the complexity of the problem. This work proposes a novel mathematical model that addresses the Open Shop theme with worker flexibility and no-wait. We consider the resource constraint of flexible and multiskilled labor. That is, the workers can execute their activities in more than one workstation. Simultaneously, the latter the continued production is contemplated, which hinders the reachability of feasible solutions and therefore increases the problem complexity. To validate the model, we generate several benchmarks, and the results obtained highlight the importance of worker flexibility in achieving greater problem feasibility.