2007 Volume 58 Issue 2 Pages 87-96
We propose a new approach to optimize facility layout and buffer space allocation for production systems with a feed-forward configuration and variable processing times. Our objective is to efficiently find Pareto-optimal solutions for both throughput and material handling cost. We assume that work transfer is performed by conveyor belt or unlimited vehicles. Since the facility layout does not affect the throughput under these assumptions, we first calculate the throughput for every buffer space allocation using Markov analysis. Then the set of Pareto optimal facility layouts and buffer space allocations is searched using a genetic algorithm. Numerical examples illustrate the proposed approach.
