In this paper we propose a new approach for the facility layout problem (FLP) and suggest new mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) formulations. The proposed approach considers simultaneously the location of the departments within the facility and the internal arrangement of the machines. Two models are suggested, where the first addresses the rectangular department case and the second allow...

The Single Row Facility Layout Problem (SRFLP) is the NP -hard problem of arranging facilities on a line, while minimizing a weighted sum of the distances between facility pairs. In this paper, a detailed polyhedral study of the SRFLP is performed, and several huge classes of valid and facet-inducing inequalities are derived. Some separation heuristics are presented, along with a primal heurist...

Reducing manufacturing lead times and minimizing work-in-process (WIP) inventories are the cornerstones of popular manufacturing strategies such as Lean, Quick Response, and Just-inTime Manufacturing. In this paper, we present a model that captures the relationship between facility layout and congestion-related measures of performance. We use the model to introduce a formulation of the facility...

We consider the facility layout problem with machine capacities (and hence multiple machines of each type) and random demand. We develop a very efficient heuristic allowing us to find good solutions to the stochastic case whenever good solutions can be found for the corresponding deterministic problem with uncapacitated machines of the same dimension. Hence, this problem represents a case where...

In this study, optimal layout design approach was used to solve problems related to site layout design of agricultural facilities such as refrigeration house, grading and packing house and warehouse. A basic program to support the rational construction of such facilities using Simulated Annealing (SA), one heuristic algorithm and one solution for combinatorial optimization problems, was coded i...

Teaching quantitative courses can be challenging. Similarly, layout modeling and lean production concepts can be difficult to grasp in an introductory OM (operations management) class. This article describes a simulation model developed in PROMODEL to facilitate the learning of layout modeling and lean manufacturing. Simulation allows for the evaluation of layout alternatives and the testing of...

This is a preliminary study in which we use a genetic algorithm (GA) to breed normalized postfix expressions for solving the facility layout problem (FLP). Our technique, initially developed for VLSI floorplanning, simultaneously places rectangles onto a planar site and optimizes area utilization by altering the shapes of facilities that have fixed area but flexible height and width dimensions....

In this paper an improved tabu search (ITS) based approach is proposed for solving facility layout problem (FLP) which is formulated as quadratic assignment problem (QAP). ITS is an improved version of conventional tabu search technique which incorporates three levels viz. intensification, reconstruction, and solution acceptance. To evaluate the efficacy of the proposed ITS, it is tested for be...

The single row facility layout problem (SRFLP) is the problem of arranging facilities with given lengths on a line, while minimizing the weighted sum of the distances between all pairs of facilities. The problem is known to be NP-hard. In this paper, we present a neighborhood search heuristic called LK-INSERT which uses a Lin-Kernighan neighborhood structure built on insertion neighborhoods. To...