A MIXED INTEGER-PROGRAM FOR LOADING AND SCHEDULING MULTIPLE FLEXIBLE MANUFACTURING CELLS

The loading and scheduling of multiple, flexible manufacturing cells is addressed. A flexible manufacturing system may contain two or more flexible manufacturing cells, where each cell is independent but receives its jobs from a common arrival queue. The procedure for this loading and scheduling is via a mixed integer programming formulation. Several objective functions are presented including: minimizing makespan, minimizing mean flowtime, and minimizing mean lateness. The paper contains a brief discussion of why loading of multiple flexible manufacturing cells is important. It also presents the problem and system in question, reviews the applicable past research and details the necessary assumptions.