Scheduling unrelated parallel machines with sequence-dependent setups

A methodology for minimizing the weighted tardiness of jobs in unrelated parallel machining scheduling with sequence-dependent setups is presented in this paper. To comply with industrial situations, the dynamic release of jobs and dynamic availability of machines are assumed. Recognizing the inherent difficulty in solving industrial-size problems efficiently, six different search algorithms based on tabu search are developed to identify the best schedule that gives the minimum weighted tardiness. To enhance both the efficiency and efficacy of the search algorithms, four different initial solution finding mechanisms, based on dispatching rules, are developed. While there is no evidence of identifying solutions of better quality by employing a specific initial solution finding mechanism, the use of a specific search algorithm led to identifying solutions of better quality or that required lower computation time, but not both. Based on the extensive statistical analysis performed, the search algorithm with short-term memory and fixed tabu list size is recommended for solving small size problems, while that with long-term memory and minimum frequency for solving medium and large size problems, combined with fixed tabu list size for the former and variable tabu list size for the latter. 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.