Heuristic Approach for a Combined Transfer Line Balancing and Buffer Allocation Problem Considering Uncertain Demand
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Published:2022-06-20
Issue:12
Volume:12
Page:6278
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ISSN:2076-3417
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Container-title:Applied Sciences
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language:en
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Short-container-title:Applied Sciences
Author:
Shao HuanORCID,
Moroni Giovanni,
Li Aiping,
Xu Liyun
Abstract
In this paper, we refer to a real case study of an industrial partner recently committed to its project on the design of a multi-unit and multi-product manufacturing system. Although the considered problem refers to an actual complex manufacturing system, it can be theoretically classified as a union of two key problems that need to be solved during the transfer line design stage: the transfer line balancing problem (TLBP) and the buffer allocation problem (BAP). As two closely related problems, TLBP and BAP usually have similar optimizing directions and share the same purpose: finding a balance between the performance of the transfer line system as well as minimizing investment costs. These problems are usually solved sequentially, but this leads to solutions close to a local optimum in the solution space and not to the global optimum of the overall problem. This paper presents a multi-objective optimization for concurrently solving transfer line balancing and buffer allocation problems. The new approach is based on a combination of evolutionary and heuristic-based algorithms and takes into account the uncertainty of market demand. To validate the proposed approach, an industrial case study in a multi-unit manufacturing system producing multiple products (four engine blocks) is discussed.
Funder
National Natural Science Foundation of China
State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs
Ministry of Science and Technology
Subject
Fluid Flow and Transfer Processes,Computer Science Applications,Process Chemistry and Technology,General Engineering,Instrumentation,General Materials Science