Decision Making in Multi-objective Facility Layout Design Selection Problem

Abstract

This paper presents the development of heuristics for determining a common linear machine sequence for multi-products with different operation sequences and facilities with a limited number of duplicate machine types available for a specific job. The final linear machine sequence is obtained by three different methods: (i) Product sequence based on descending order of flow distances, (ii) Product sequence based on descending order of product due date, and (iii) Product sequence based on random selection. This work aims to compare the effectiveness of the three approaches based on the results of (a) minimum total flow distance traveled by products, (b) minimum number of machines in the final linear sequence, and (c) minimum total investment cost of the machines in the final sequence. It is assumed that the product flow runs only in the forward direction, either via in-sequence or bypass movement. This work demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed heuristics by solving a typical layout design problem taken from the literature and several randomly generated problems. The results of three different approaches are compared, and it provides practical support in making decisions while solving the problems inherent in multi-objective facility layout design.