A STUDY OF GENETIC CROSSOVER OPERATIONS ON THE FACILITIES LAYOUT PROBLEM

The application of genetic algorithms (GAs) to the facilities layout problem is presented in this paper. Three genetic crossover operators are investigated: PMX (Partially Matched Crossover), OX (Order Crossover) and CX (Cycle Crossover). A large number of numerical experiments were performed in order to evaluate the performance of these operators and to obtain some general guidelines in setting GA parameters for the layout problem. Several case studies on larger plants with fixed location constraints and/or excessive spaces are also presented to illustrate the ability of GAs in solving the facilities layout problem.