The performance of a manufacturing or logistic system is determined by its constraints. Therefore, in order to improve the performance, it is necessary to improve the constraints, also known as the bottlenecks. Finding the bottlenecks, however, is not easy. This paper compares the two most common bottleneck detection methods, based on the utilization and the waiting time, with the shifting bott...

In this paper, we study the job shop scheduling problem with the objective of minimizing the total weighted tardiness. We propose a hybrid shifting bottleneck tabu search (SB-TS) algorithm by replacing the reoptimization step in the shifting bottleneck (SB) algorithm by a tabu search (TS). In terms of the shifting bottleneck heuristic, the proposed tabu search optimizes the total weighted tardi...

This paper describes a fuzzy Shifting Bottleneck Procedure hybridised with genetic algorithm for a real-world job shop scheduling problem. Fuzzy sets are used to model uncertain processing times of jobs and their release dates and due dates. In each iteration, the Shifting Bottleneck Procedure selects a machine, which is critical for the stated objective, namely minimisation of the makespan (th...

This paper introduces a modified shifting bottleneck approach to solve train scheduling and rescheduling problems. The problem is formulated as a job shop scheduling model and a mixed integer linear programming model is also presented. The shifting bottleneck procedure is a wellestablished heuristic method for obtaining solutions to the job shop and other machine scheduling problems. We modify ...

This paper presents a multi agent system for the job shop scheduling problems. The proposed system consists of initial scheduling agent, search agents, and schedule management agent. In initial scheduling agent, a modified Shifting Bottleneck is proposed. That is, an effective heuristic approach and can generate a good solution in a low computational effort. In search agents, a hybrid search ap...

Bottleneck detection in manufacturing is the key to improving production efficiency and stability in order to improve capacity. Yet common bottleneck detection methods in industry and academia lack either accuracy or practicability, or both, for dynamic systems. The new methodology is conducted by the observation of processes and inventories. Blocked processes and full inventories indicate a do...

There are numerous different bottleneck detection methods both in academia and in industry. However, most do not take the shifting of bottlenecks into account. This paper compares a number of methods, namely methods based on cycle times and utilizations, waiting times and queue lengths, the arrow method, the turning point method, the active period method, and the bottleneck walk. All methods ar...