Abstract
Lot streaming—the process of splitting a production lot into sublots—has been a common practice in flow-shop systems during the past decade. Nevertheless, a major limiting assumption has been made in the analysis of these systems in that the setup time is, at most, lot-attached but not sublot-attached. In this paper, we consider the single and multiple batch flow-shop lot-streaming problems with sublot-attached setup times. A fast, optimal solution algorithm for the single batch problem is presented. For the multiple batch problem, we propose a near optimal solution procedure which is optimal in two-machine flow-shops. Computational results are also presented for the multiple batch problem which indicate both the efficiency and effectiveness of this procedure.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
K.R. Baker, Lot Streaming to Reduce Cycle Time in a Flow-shop, Working Paper #203, The Amos Tuck School of Business Administration, Dartmouth College: Hanover, NH, 1988.
K.R. Baker and D.F. Pyke, “Solution procedures for the lot-streaming problem,” Decision Sciences, vol. 21, pp. 475-491, 1990
K.R. Baker and D. Jia, “A comparative study of lot streaming procedures,” OMEGA the International Journal of Management Sciences, vol. 21, no. 5, pp. 561-566, 1993.
M.S. Bazaraa, H.D. Sherali, and C.M. Shetty, Nonlinear Programming Theory and Algorithms, 2nd Ed., John Wiley, 1993.
S. Benjaafar, “On production batches, transfer batches, and lead times,” IIE Transactions, vol. 28, pp. 357-362, 1996.
F.C. Cetinkaya, “Lot streaming in a two-stage flow-shop with set-up, processing and removal times separated,” Journal of Operational Research Society, vol. 45, no. 12, pp. 1445-1455, 1994.
J. Chen and G. Steiner, “Lot streaming with detached setups in three-machine flow shops,” European Journal of Operational Research, vol. 96, no. 3, pp. 591-611, 1997.
J. Chen and G. Steiner, “Lot streaming with attached setups in three-machine flow shops,” IIE Transactions, vol. 30, no. 11, pp. 1075-1084, 1998.
P.S. Dauzere and J.B. Lasserre, “An iterative procedure for lot streaming in job-shop scheduling,” Computers and Industrial Engineering, vol. 25, pp. 231-234, 1993.
P.S. Dauzere and J.B. Lasserre, “Lot streaming in job-shop scheduling,” Operations Research, vol. 45, no. 4, pp. 584-595, 1997.
A. Eynan and L. Li-Chung, “Lot-splitting decisions and learning effects,” IIE Transactions, vol. 29, no. 2, pp. 139-146, 1997.
C.A. Glass, J.N.D. Gupta, and C.N. Potts, “Lot streaming in three-stage production processes,” European Journal of Operational Research, vol. 75, pp. 378-394, 1994.
E. Goldratt, What is this Thing Called the THEORY OF CONSTRAINTS and How Should It Be Implemented? North River Press: Crotonon-Hudson, NY, 1990.
S.M. Johnson, “Optimal two-and three-stage production schedules with setup time included,” Naval Research Logistics Quarterly, vol. 1, pp. 61-68, 1954.
A.A. Kalir, “Optimal and heuristic solutions for the single and multiple batch flow shop lot streaming problems with equal sublots,” Unpublished Ph.D. Thesis, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, VA, USA, 1999.
A.A. Kalir and S.C. Sarin, “Evaluation of the potential benefits of lot streaming in flow-shop systems,” International Journal of Production Economics, vol. 66, pp. 131-142, 2000.
A.A. Kalir and S.C. Sarin, “A near optimal heuristic for sequencing problem in multiple-batch flow-shops with small equal sub-lots,” OMEGA the International Journal of Management Sciences, vol. 29, pp. 577-584, 2001.
A.A. Kalir and S.C. Sarin, “Optimal Solutions for the single batch, flow shop, lot streaming problem with equal sublots, Decision Sciences, vol. 32, no. 2, pp. 387-397, 2001a.
D.H. Kropp and T.L. Smunt, “Optimal and heuristic models for lot splitting in a flow shop,” Decision Sciences, vol. 21, no. 4, pp. 691-709, 1990.
M. Pinedo, Scheduling Theory: Algorithms and Systems, Prentice Hall, Inc., 1995.
V.R. Pyreddy, “Solution procedures for the multiple product lot streaming problem in multiple machine flowshops,” Unpublished Ph.D. Thesis, Drexler University, PA, USA, 1996.
S. Reiter, “A system for managing job-shop production,” Journal of Business, vol. 39, pp. 371-393, 1966.
D. Trietsch and K.R. Baker, “Basic techniques for lot streaming,” Operations Research, vol. 41, no. 6, pp. 1065-1076, 1993.
R.G. Vickson and B.E. Alfredson, “Two and three machine flow-shop scheduling problems with equal sized transfer batches,” International Journal of Production Research, vol. 30, pp. 1551-1574, 1992.
R.G. Vickson, “Optimal lot streaming for multiple products in a two-machine flow shop,” European Journal of Operational Research, vol. 85, pp. 556-575, 1995.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Kalir, A.A., Sarin, S.C. Constructing Near Optimal Schedules for the Flow-Shop Lot Streaming Problem with Sublot-Attached Setups. Journal of Combinatorial Optimization 7, 23–44 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1021942422161
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1021942422161