A due date-based approach to part type selection in flexible manufacturing systems

Nearly all of the literature on part type selection for flexible manufacturing systems has focused on maximizing throughput. We present an approach for part type selection in which meeting due dates is the primary objective. The approach is based on the idea of using information from the solution of an approximate, aggregate scheduling problem as the basis for determining release priorities. The need for the approximation and aggregation arises because the exact machine configuration (partitioning of identical machines into groups, and loading of tools) cannot be decided until the parts are selected. We develop and evaluate several different policies for setting release priorities in a context where the approximate, aggregate schedule is constructed using list scheduling (dispatching) rules. The results indicate that using information from such a schedule to set release priorities performs far better than using simpler procedures.