Hybrid evolutionary algorithm-based real-world flexible job shop scheduling problem: application service provider approach
This paper presents an approach for scheduling of customers orders in factories of plastic injection machines (FPIM) as a case of real-world flexible job shop scheduling problem. The objective of discussed work is to provide FPIM with high business speed which implies (a) providing a customers with convenient way for remote online access to the factorys database and (b) developing an efficient scheduling routine for planning the assignment of the submitted customers orders to FPIM machines. Remote online access to FPIM database, approached via delivering the software as a Web-service in accordance with the application service provider (ASP) paradigm is proposed. As an approach addressing the issue of efficient scheduling routine a hybrid evolutionary algorithm (HEA) combining priority-dispatching rules (PDRs) with GA is developed. An implementation of HEA as a database stored procedure is discussed. Performance evaluation results are presented. The results obtained for evolving a schedule of 400 customers orders on experimental model of FPIM indicate that the business delays in order of half-an-hour can be achieved.
evolutionary algorithm flexible job shop scheduling application service provider priority dispatching rules