Heuristic solution to inspection station assignment problem for large instances

Document Type

Conference Proceeding

Publication Date

1-1-2017

Abstract

A multistage flexible flowline is considered in this research to make optimal decisions on inspection and rework stations assignment. The defective items detected at the inspection station(s) are either scrapped or reworked on/offline. The number and location(s) of inspection station(s) affect the throughput rate and defect detection horizon. These eventually affect the unit cost of production. In this research a mathematical model for unit cost of production is developed in terms of costs, times and defect proportions, in order to obtain the optimal assignment of inspection and rework stations as well as rework policies. The problem is formulated as a fractional mixed-integer nonlinear programming (f-MINLP) to minimize the unit cost of production. A construction heuristic, coined as Inspection Station Assignment (ISA) heuristic is developed to obtain sub-optimal solutions. A hybrid of Ant-Colony Optimization-based metaheuristic (ACOr) and ISA is devised to efficiently solve large instances. Empirical studies are presented to show the quality and efficiency of the solution processes involved in the problem. The hybrid heuristic shows better performance in terms of solution quality and efficiency. These approaches are applicable to many discrete product manufacturing systems including electronics, apparel, footwear, mechanical and other similar product manufacturing industries.

Publication Source (Journal or Book title)

67th Annual Conference and Expo of the Institute of Industrial Engineers 2017

First Page

121

Last Page

126

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