Bi criteria flexible assembly line design problem with equipment decisions


Pekin N., AZİZOĞLU M.

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PRODUCTION RESEARCH, vol.46, no.22, pp.6323-6343, 2008 (SCI-Expanded) identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 46 Issue: 22
  • Publication Date: 2008
  • Doi Number: 10.1080/00207540701441988
  • Journal Name: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PRODUCTION RESEARCH
  • Journal Indexes: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus
  • Page Numbers: pp.6323-6343
  • Keywords: flexible assembly lines, equipment decisions, branch and bound, GENETIC ALGORITHM
  • Middle East Technical University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

In this paper, we address the assembly line balancing and design problem of assigning tasks and equipment to work stations where there are several equipment alternatives for each task. We consider minimizing the total equipment cost and the number of work stations criteria. We aim to generate efficient solutions with respect to these criteria and propose a branch and bound algorithm whose efficiency is enhanced with powerful reduction and bounding mechanisms. We find that our algorithm is capable of solving problem instances with up to 25 tasks and five pieces of equipment.