Ž . In this paper a solution in the continual plane to the Facility Layout Problem FLP is presented. It is based on Simulated Ž . Annealing SA , a relatively recent algorithm for solving hard combinatorial optimization problems, like FLP. This approach Ž . may be applied either in General Facility Layout Problems GFLP considering facilities areas, shapes and orientations or in Ž . Machine Layou...

A bay configuration arranged along a central spine and served by an automated monorail material handling system are common designs for the layout and material handling system in new semiconductor wafer fabrication facilities. This paper investigates the facility design problem in semiconductor fabrication facilities and proposes a procedure to determine the optimal spine layout design given a d...

The facility layout problem is typically solved in what is referred to as a “top-down approach” of block layout design followed by detailed layout determination. However, a number of research efforts recently have challenged this approach, producing a “bottom-up approach to the facility layout problem” (Meller et al. 2004). In this paper we consider the bottom-up approach, applying a tighter fo...

In the desgin-process of a facility layout, the focus has been mainly on the placement of the machine resources. The material-ow, and therefore the desgin of the aisles has not appropriately been taken into account. We developed a hybrid genetic algorithm (GA) to generate the aisles in a facility layout at minimal xed and variable cost. The application of the GA to a practical problem leads to ...

The facility layout problem is concerned with finding the most efficient arrangement of a given number of departments with unequal area requirements within a facility. The facility layout problem is a hard problem, and therefore, exact solution methods are only feasible for small or greatly restricted problems. In this paper, we propose a spring-embedding approach that unlike previous approache...

Despite the reported effectiveness of analytical algorithms in facility layout planning, a detailed literature survey suggests a lack of new analytical methods in recent years. This paper focuses on open space facilities layout planning that involves modules with constant aspect ratios. We propose a construction-cum-improvement algorithm involving a novel combination of a boundary search-based ...

A facility layout problem is concerned with determining the best position of departments, cells, or machines on the plant. An efficient layout contributes to the overall efficiency of operations. It’s been proved that, when system characteristics change, it can cause a significant increase in material handling cost. Consequently, the efficiency of the current layout decreases or is lost and it ...

This paper applies genetic optimization with an adaptive penalty function to the shapeconstrained unequal area facility layout problem. We implement a genetic search for unequal area facility layout, and show how optimal solutions are affected by constraints on permitted department shapes, as specified by a maximum allowable aspect ratio for each department. We show how an adaptive penalty func...

This paper presents a history of a difficult facility layout problem that falls into the category of the Koopmans-Beckmann variant of the Quadratic Assignment Problem (QAP), wherein 30 facilities are to be assigned to 30 locations. The problem arose in 1972 as part of the design of a German university hospital, Klinikum Regensburg. This problem, known as the Krarup30a upon its inclusion in the ...