Preemptive stochastic online scheduling on two uniform machines

This paper addresses a stochastic online scheduling problem in which a set of independent jobs are to be processed by two uniform machines whose speeds are 1 and s(s?1). Each job has a processing time, which is a random variable with an arbitrary distribution, and all the jobs are arriving overtime, which means that no information of the job is known in advance before its arrival. During the processing, jobs are allowed to be preempted and resumed later. The objective is to minimize the sum of expected weighted completion times. In this paper, the optimal policy, named SMPR, is designed for the single-machine preemptive stochastic scheduling problem where jobs have a common arriving time. Based on SMPR, the online approximative policy-UMPR, is devised for the preemptive stochastic online scheduling on two uniform machines. Then, UMPR is proved to have an approximation factor of 2. Furthermore, it is concluded that UMPR could not have a smaller approximation factor than 2, which means 2 is the approximation ratio of UMPR for the two-uniform-machine scheduling problem.     

Two branch-and-bound algorithms for the robust parallel machine scheduling problem

Uncertainty is an inevitable element in many practical production planning and scheduling environments. When a due date is predetermined for performing a set of jobs for a customer, production managers are often concerned with establishing a schedule with the highest possible confidence of meeting the due date. In this paper, we study the problem of scheduling a given number of jobs on a specified number of identical parallel machines when the processing time of each job is stochastic. Our goal is to find a robust schedule that maximizes the customer service level, which is the probability of the makespan not exceeding the due date. We develop two branch-and-bound algorithms for finding an optimal solution; the two algorithms differ mainly in their branching scheme. We generate a set of benchmark instances and compare the performance of the algorithms based on this dataset.     

A hybrid local search algorithm for scheduling real-world job shops with batch-wise pending due dates

This paper aims at solving a real-world job shop scheduling problem with two characteristics, i.e., the existence of pending due dates and job batches. Due date quotation is an important decision process for contemporary companies that adopt the MTO (make to order) strategy. Although the assignment of due dates is usually performed separately with production scheduling, there exist strong interactions between the two tasks. Therefore, we integrate these two decisions into one optimization model. Meanwhile, each order placed by the customer defines a batch of jobs, for which the same due date should be set. Thus, the completion times of these jobs should be close to one another in order to reduce waiting time and cost. For this purpose, we propose a dispatching rule to synchronize their manufacturing progresses. A two-stage local search algorithm based on the PMBGA (probabilistic model-building genetic algorithm) and parameter perturbation is proposed to solve the integrated scheduling problem and its superiority is revealed by the applications to a real-world mechanical factory.     

Common due date assignment and scheduling with ready times

We consider the problem of scheduling a set of nonsimultaneously available jobs on one machine. Each job has a ready time only at or after which the job can be processed. All the jobs have a common due date, which needs to be determined. The problem is to determine a due date and a schedule so as to minimize a total penalty depending on the earliness, tardiness and due date. We show that this problem is strongly NP-hard and give an efficient algorithm that finds an optimal due date and schedule when either the job sequence is predetermined or all jobs have the same processing time. We also propose three approximation algorithms for the general and special cases together with their experimental analysis.

Scope and purpose

We consider the single machine due date assignment problem for scheduling jobs which are ready for processing at different times. The problem under consideration arises in production planning and scheduling concerning the setting of appropriate due dates for a number of customer orders arriving over time. Most of the earlier publications on this subject assumed that the jobs are ready for processing simultaneously. This assumption is too restrictive for real-life production systems where jobs arrive at different times. We show that the problem with unequal ready times is NP-hard and develop fast heuristic algorithms for it, and exact algorithms for two special cases.     

Parallel machine earliness and tardiness scheduling with proportional weights

In this paper we study the problem of scheduling n jobs with a common due date and proportional early and tardy penalties on m identical parallel machines. We show that the problem is NP-hard and propose a dynamic programming algorithm to solve it. We also propose two heuristics to tackle the problem and analyze their worst-case error bounds.Scope and purposeScheduling problems to minimize the total weighted earliness and tardiness (WET) arise in Just-in-time manufacturing systems, where one of the objectives is to complete each job as close to its due date as possible. The earliness and tardiness weights of a job in WET tend to increase with the value of the job. Because processing time is often a good surrogate for the value of a job, it is reasonable to consider weights that are proportional to job processing times. In this paper we study the parallel identical machine WET problem with proportional weights. We propose both exact and approximation algorithms to tackle the problem.     

Single-machine batch delivery scheduling with an assignable common due date and controllable processing times

We consider single-machine batch delivery scheduling with an assignable common due date and controllable processing times, which vary as a convex function of the amounts of a continuously divisible common resource allocated to individual jobs. Finished jobs are delivered in batches and there is no capacity limit on each delivery batch. We first provide an O(n⁵) dynamic programming algorithm to find the optimal job sequence, the partition of the job sequence into batches, the assigned common due date, and the resource allocation that minimize a cost function based on earliness, tardiness, job holding, due date assignment, batch delivery, and resource consumption. We show that a special case of the problem can be solved by a lower-order polynomial algorithm. We then study the problem of finding the optimal solution to minimize the total cost of earliness, tardiness, job holding, and due date assignment, subject to limited resource availability, and develop an O(nlog n) algorithm to solve it.     

解决并行多机提前/拖后调度问题的混合遗传算法方法

研究了带有公共交货期的并行多机提前/拖后调度问题.提出了一种混合遗传算法 方法,以便于确定公共交货期和每台机器上加工的任务代号及其加工顺序,即找到一个最优 公共交货期和最优调度,使加工完所有任务后交货期安排的成本、提前交货成本和拖后交货 成本的总和最小.数值计算结果表明了该混合遗传算法优于启发式算法,并能适用于较大规 模并行多机提前/拖后调度问题.算法计算量小,鲁棒性强.     

Scheduling of parallel machines with sequence-dependent batches and product incompatibilities in an automotive glass facility

This application is motivated by a complex real-world scheduling problem found in the bottleneck workstation of the production line of an automotive safety glass manufacturing facility. The scheduling problem consists of scheduling jobs (glass parts) on a number of parallel batch processing machines (furnaces), assigning each job to a batch, and sequencing the batches on each machine. The two main objectives are to maximize the utilization of the parallel machines and to minimize the delay in the completion date of each job in relation to a required due date (specific for each job). Aside from the main objectives, the output batches should also produce a balanced workload on the parallel machines, balanced job due dates within each batch, and minimal capacity loss in the batches. The scheduling problem also considers a batch capacity constraint, sequence-dependent processing times, incompatible product families, additional resources, and machine capability. We propose a two-phase heuristic approach that combines exact methods with search heuristics. The first phase comprises a four-stage mixed-integer linear program for building the batches; the second phase is based on a Greedy Randomized Adaptive Search Procedure for sequencing the batches assigned to each machine. We conducted experiments on instances with up to 100 jobs built with real data from the manufacturing facility. The results are encouraging both in terms of computing time—5 min in average—and quality of the solutions—less than 10 % relative gap from the optimal solution in the first phase and less than 5 % in the second phase. Additional experiments were conducted on randomly generated instances of small, medium, and large size.     

Genetic algorithms for the optimal common due date assignment and the optimal scheduling policy in parallel machine earliness/tardiness scheduling problems

Earliness/tardiness scheduling problems with undetermined common due date which have wide application background in textile industry, mechanical industry, electronic industry and so on, are very important in the research fields such as industry engineering and CIMS. In this paper, a kind of genetic algorithm based on sectional code for minimizing the total cost of assignment of due date, earliness and tardiness in this kind of scheduling problem is proposed to determine the optimal common due date and the optimal scheduling policy for determining the job number and their processing order on each machine. Also, simulated annealing mechanism and the iterative heuristic fine-tuning operator are introduced into the genetic algorithm so as to construct three kinds of hybrid genetic algorithms with good performance. Numerical computational results focusing on the identical parallel machine scheduling problem and the general parallel machine scheduling problem shows that these algorithms outperform heuristic procedures, and fit for larger scale parallel machine earliness/tardiness scheduling problem. Moreover, with practical application data from one of the largest cotton colored weaving enterprises in China, numerical computational results show that these genetic algorithms are effective and robust, and that especially the performance of the hybrid genetic algorithm based on simulated annealing and the iterative heuristic fine-tuning operator is the best among them.     

Heuristics for hybrid flow shops with controllable processing times and assignable due dates

This paper considers a generalization of the permutation flow shop problem that combines the scheduling function with the planning stage. In this problem, each work center consists of parallel identical machines. Each job has a different release date and consists of ordered operations that have to be processed on machines from different machine centers in the same order. In addition, the processing times of the operations on some machines may vary between a minimum and a maximum value depending on the use of a continuously divisible resource. We consider a nonregular optimization criterion based on due dates which are not a priori given but can be fixed by a decision-maker. A due date assignment cost is included into the objective function. For this type of problems, we generalize well-known approaches for the heuristic solution of classical problems and propose constructive algorithms based on job insertion techniques and iterative algorithms based on local search. For the latter, we deal with the design of appropriate neighborhoods to find better quality solution. Computational results for problems with up to 20 jobs and 10 machine centers are given.Scope and purposeTraditional research to solve multi-stage scheduling problems has focused on regular measures of performance based on a single criterion and assumes that several decisions related to due dates and processing times have already been made. However, in many industrial scheduling practices, managers develop schedules based on multicriteria and have to decide the due dates and processing times as part of the scheduling activities. Further, in practical scheduling situations, there are multiple machines at each stage and the objective function often reflects the total cost of processing, earliness and tardiness. Such scheduling problems require significantly more effort in finding acceptable solutions and hence have not received much attention in the literature. For this reason, this paper considers one such hybrid flow shop scheduling problem involving nonregular measures of performance, controllable processing times, and assignable due dates. We combine and generalize the existing approaches for the classical flow shop problem to the problem under consideration. Computational experiments are used to evaluate the utility of the proposed algorithms for the generalized scheduling problems. Brah and Hunsucker (European Journal of Operational Research 1991;51:88–99) and Nowicki and Smutnicki (European Journal of Operational Research 1998;106:226–253) describe branch and bound and tabu search algorithms for the approach used in the development of heuristic algorithms can also be adapted to several other complex practical scheduling problems.     

Dynamic scheduling of manufacturing job shops using genetic algorithms

Most job shop scheduling methods reported in the literature usually address the static scheduling problem. These methods do not consider multiple criteria, nor do they accommodate alternate resources to process a job operation. In this paper, a scheduling method based on genetic algorithms is developed and it addresses all the shortcomings mentioned above. The genetic algorithms approach is a schedule permutation approach that systematically permutes an initial pool of randomly generated schedules to return the best schedule found to date.A dynamic scheduling problem was designed to closely reflect a real job shop scheduling environment. Two performance measures, namely mean job tardiness and mean job cost, were used to demonstrate multiple criteria scheduling. To span a varied job shop environment, three factors were identified and varied between two levels each. The results of this extensive simulation study indicate that the genetic algorithms scheduling approach produces better scheduling performance in comparison to several common dispatching rules.     

Group shops scheduling with makespan criterion subject to random release dates and processing times

This paper deals with a stochastic group shop scheduling problem. The group shop scheduling problem is a general formulation that includes the other shop scheduling problems such as the flow shop, the job shop and the open shop scheduling problems. Both the release date of each job and the processing time of each job on each machine are random variables with known distributions. The objective is to find a job schedule which minimizes the expected makespan. First, the problem is formulated in a form of stochastic programming and then a lower bound on the expected makespan is proposed which may be used as a measure for evaluating the performance of a solution without simulating. To solve the stochastic problem efficiently, a simulation optimization approach is developed that is a hybrid of an ant colony optimization algorithm and a heuristic algorithm to generate good solutions and a discrete event simulation model to evaluate the expected makespan. The proposed approach is tested on instances where the random variables are normally, exponentially or uniformly distributed and gives promising results.     

Using genetic algorithm for lot sizing and scheduling problem with arbitrary job volumes and distinct job due date considerations

This paper considers an integrated lot sizing and scheduling problem for a production–distribution environment with arbitrary job volumes and distinct due dates considerations. In the problem, jobs are firstly batch processed on a batching machine at production stage and then delivered to a pre-specified customer at the subsequent delivery stage by a capacitated vehicle. Each job is associated with a distinct due date and a distinct volume, and has to be delivered to the customer before its due date, i.e. delay is not allowed. The processing time of a batch is a constant independent of the jobs it contains. In production, a constant set-up time as well as a constant set-up cost is required before the first job of this batch is processed. In delivery, a constant delivery time as well as a constant delivery cost is needed for each round-trip delivery between the factory and the customer. Moreover, it is supposed that a job that arrives at the customer before its due date will incur a customer inventory cost. The objective is to find a coordinated lot sizing and scheduling scheme such that the total cost is minimised while guaranteeing a certain customer service level. A mixed integer formulation is proposed for this problem, and then a genetic algorithm is developed to solve it. To evaluate the performance of the proposed genetic algorithm, a lower bound on the objective value is established. Computational experiments show that the proposed genetic algorithm performs well on randomly generated problem instances.     

A global constraint for total weighted completion time for unary resources

We introduce a novel global constraint for the total weighted completion time of activities on a single unary capacity resource. For propagating the constraint, we propose an O(n ⁴) algorithm which makes use of the preemptive mean busy time relaxation of the scheduling problem. The solution to this problem is used to test if an activity can start at each start time in its domain in solutions that respect the upper bound on the cost of the schedule. Empirical results show that the proposed global constraint significantly improves the performance of constraint-based approaches to single-machine scheduling for minimizing the total weighted completion time. We then apply the constraint to the multi-machine job shop scheduling problem with total weighted completion time. Our experiments show an order of magnitude reduction in search effort over the standard weighted-sum constraint and demonstrate that the way in which the job weights are associated with activities is important for performance.     

Scheduling job classes on uniform machines

We study a scheduling problem with job classes on parallel uniform machines. All the jobs of a given class share a common due-date. General, non-decreasing and class-dependent earliness and tardiness cost functions are assumed. Two objectives are considered: (i) minmax, where the scheduler is required to minimize the maximum earliness/tardiness cost among all the jobs and (ii) minmax-minsum, where the scheduler minimizes the sum of the maximum earliness/tardiness cost in all job classes. The problem is easily shown to be NP-hard, and we focus here on the introduction of simple heuristics. We introduce LPT (Largest Processing Time first)-based heuristics for the allocation of jobs to machines within each class, followed by a solution of an appropriate non-linear program, which produces for this job allocation an optimal schedule of the classes. We also propose a lower bound, based on balancing the load on the machines. Our numerical tests indicate that the heuristics result in very small optimality gaps.     

An elective surgery scheduling problem considering patient priority

This paper addresses a scheduling problem where patients with different priorities are scheduled for elective surgery in a surgical facility, which has a limited capacity. When the capacity is available, patients with a higher priority are selected from the waiting list and put on the schedule. At the beginning of each period, a decision of the number of patients to be scheduled is made based on the trade-offs between the cost for overtime work and the cost for surgery postponement. A stochastic dynamic programming model is formulated to address this problem. A structural analysis of the proposed model is conducted to understand the properties of an optimal schedule policy. Based on the structural analysis, bounds on feasible actions are incorporated into a value iteration algorithm, and a brief computation experiment shows the improvement in computational efficiency. Numerical examples show that the consideration of patient priority results in significant differences in surgery schedules from the schedule that ignores the patient priority.     

Minimizing mean weighted tardiness in unrelated parallel machine scheduling with reinforcement learning

We address an unrelated parallel machine scheduling problem with R-learning, an average-reward reinforcement learning (RL) method. Different types of jobs dynamically arrive in independent Poisson processes. Thus the arrival time and the due date of each job are stochastic. We convert the scheduling problems into RL problems by constructing elaborate state features, actions, and the reward function. The state features and actions are defined fully utilizing prior domain knowledge. Minimizing the reward per decision time step is equivalent to minimizing the schedule objective, i.e. mean weighted tardiness. We apply an on-line R-learning algorithm with function approximation to solve the RL problems. Computational experiments demonstrate that R-learning learns an optimal or near-optimal policy in a dynamic environment from experience and outperforms four effective heuristic priority rules (i.e. WSPT, WMDD, ATC and WCOVERT) in all test problems.     

FF现场总线系统中实时任务的建模与调度

本文研究了单网段 FF现场总线系统中具有时间约束和次序约束的实时任务，即 功能块任务和通信任务的建模与调度．首先，将功能块任务和通信任务等视为相同的任务， 在只考虑任务间次序约束的情况下，提出了基于紧凑模式的任务模型，以保证每个作业被尽 可能早地完成．其次，考虑单网段通信任务共享一个传输介质而引起的通信超时，提出了基 于作业速率单调优先级算法的扩展紧凑模式的任务调度算法，以满足实时任务的时间约束 和次序约束．最后，通过一个应用实例来描述实时任务的调度过程．     

Unrelated parallel machine scheduling with setup times using simulated annealing

This paper presents a scheduling problem for unrelated parallel machines with sequence-dependent setup times, using simulated annealing (SA). The problem accounts for allotting work parts of L jobs into M parallel unrelated machines, where a job refers to a lot composed of N items. Some jobs may have different items while every item within each job has an identical processing time with a common due date. Each machine has its own processing times according to the characteristics of the machine as well as job types. Setup times are machine independent but job sequence dependent. SA, a meta-heuristic, is employed in this study to determine a scheduling policy so as to minimize total tardiness. The suggested SA method utilizes six job or item rearranging techniques to generate neighborhood solutions. The experimental analysis shows that the proposed SA method significantly outperforms a neighborhood search method in terms of total tardiness.     

A bicriteria approach to minimize the total weighted number of tardy jobs with convex controllable processing times and assignable due dates

We study a single-machine scheduling problem in a flexible framework where both job processing times and due dates are decision variables to be determined by the scheduler. The model can also be applied for quoting delivery times when some parts of the jobs may be outsourced. We analyze the problem for two due date assignment methods and a convex resource consumption function. For each due date assignment method, we provide a bicriteria analysis where the first criterion is to minimize the total weighted number of tardy jobs plus due date assignment cost, and the second criterion is to minimize total weighted resource consumption. We consider four different models for treating the two criteria. Although the problem of minimizing a single integrated objective function can be solved in polynomial time, we prove that the three bicriteria models are NP\mathcal{NP}-hard for both due date assignment methods. We also present special cases, which frequently occur in practice, and in which all four models are polynomially solvable.