Integrated Production and Manpower Scheduling - Second Phase

调度研究中大多数已发表的文章都集中在针对应用有限的理论问题开发模型和算法。在合作公司中识别的调度问题恰好与文献中已知的调度问题非常不同。它涉及到大量的各种订单的调度，具有更大的操作复杂性。产品的许多操作都是一个单元一个单元地处理的，然而，大多数产品还需要通过一个具有明显复杂性的批处理设施来纳入调度模型。此外，产品需要加工和装配操作，其中组件和子组件需要通过许多加工站。有些产品的操作是外包的，它们的半成品库存需要送到其他工厂，然后返回进行进一步的内部加工。机器操作员是有限的资源。这些操作员中的许多人都经过交叉培训，可以分配到不同类型的机器。操作员也可以一次管理多台机器。因此，他们的任务需要安排在细节沿着的行动。制造设施的关键部分是多班制或加班制的，而其余部分则是单班制的，这些独特的问题特征组合使得调度非常困难。因此，该公司面临着在满足产品交付日期的同时以最少的在制品库存顺利运营的挑战。初步研究了基于事件调度/时间推进（ESTA）算法的高效调度技术。该方法被证明是能够ofhandling许多的制造设施的操作逻辑和生成的machinesand操作员的时间表，并优化几个性能标准。本研究是这一成就的延续，旨在增强已开发的算法，以纳入制造系统的几个细节。此外，将进行有限的研究，以整合生产调度与其他业务问题，如库存管理和维护计划。

Most published articles in scheduling research are focused in developing models and algorithms to theoreticalproblems having limited applications. The scheduling problem identified in the collaborating company happensto be very different from those know in literature. It involves the scheduling of a large variety of orders withgreater operational complexity. Many of the operations on the products are to be processed unit by unit.However, most products also need to passes through a batch processing facility with apparent complexity toincorporate in a scheduling model. Moreover, products need both machining and assembly operations wherecomponents and sub-assemblies need to pass through many processing stations. Some of the products haveoperations that are outsourced and their semi-finished inventory needs to be sent to other facilities and bereturned for further in-house processing. Machine operators are limited resources. Many of these operators arecross trained and can be assigned to different types of machines. Operators may also tend more than onemachine at a time. Hence their task need to be scheduled in details along the operations. Critical segments ofthe manufacturing facility are operated multiple shift or overtime while the rest are operated only a single shift.These unique combination of problem features makes scheduling very difficult. Hence, the company faces achallenge in running its operations smoothly with minimal work-in-process inventory while at the same timemeeting product delivery dates. A preliminary study was conducted to develop an efficient schedulingtechnique based on Event Scheduling/Time Advance (ESTA) algorithm. The approach proves to be capable ofhandling many of the operational logic of the manufacturing facility and generate schedules for the machinesand the operators, and optimize several performance criteria. This research is a continuation of thisachievement and is aimed at enhancing the developed algorithm to incorporate several details of themanufacturing system. Moreover, a limited study will be conducted for integrating production scheduling withother operational issues such as inventory management and maintenance planning.