Abstract
This paper introduces a tractable methodology for finding practical aisle structures for a facility for a given flexible bay block layout. The proposed methodology begins with a heuristic to identify candidate horizontal and vertical aisles using user guidance for the general form of the aisles. There then follows an enumeration algorithm that determines the final aisle structure. Using the calculated aisle structure, a non-linear programming model adjusts departmental areas and shapes to accommodate straight aisles. Finally, input/output points are sited using a genetic algorithm. Together, these algorithms specify a reasonable aisle structure and define the material flow through the facility. Two variations of the problem are solved-one with a limit on the total aisle distance and one with a cost per unit aisle length. The effectiveness of the proposed methodology is demonstrated on test problems with 20 and 50 departments.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1019-1031 |
| Number of pages | 13 |
| Journal | IIE Transactions (Institute of Industrial Engineers) |
| Volume | 40 |
| Issue number | 11 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 2008 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Funding
The authors gratefully acknowledge the support of US National Science Foundation grant DMI 99-08322. The authors wish to thank Dr. Russell Meller as well as two anonymous referees for their suggestions and insights, which have improved the paper. Bryan A. Norman is an Associate Professor of Industrial Engineering at the University of Pittsburgh. He received his Ph.D. degree in Industrial and Operations Engineering from the University of Michigan in 1995, where he was a National Science Foundation Fellowship holder, and has B.S.I.E. and M.S.I.E. degrees from the University of Oklahoma. His research interests primarily focus on the modeling of complex problems in manufacturing and production systems and applied optimization. His areas of application include machine and personnel scheduling, job rotation, assembly line balancing, facility layout, material handling system design, energy modeling and radio frequency identification. His research has been funded by several sources including the National Science Foundation and local industry. He has published his research in IIE Transactions, Naval Research Logistics, INFORMS Journal on Computing, the International Journal of Production Research, the European Journal of Operational Research, the Annals of Operations Research and Computers & Industrial Engineering. He is a member of IIE and INFORMS.
Keywords
- Aisle
- Aisle construction
- Facility layout design
- Genetic algorithms
- Heuristic
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering