Application of Branch and Bound Technique for 3-Stage Flow Shop Scheduling Problem with Transportation Time

Abstract

This paper provides a branch and bound technique to solve the three stage flow shop scheduling problem including transportation time. Algorithm is given to find optimal or near optimal sequence, minimizing the total elapsed time. This approach is very simple and easy to understand and, also provide an important tool for decision makers to design a schedule for three stage flow-shop scheduling problems. The method is clarified with the help of numerical illustration. Copyright © www.iiste.org

Keywords: Flow shop scheduling, Branch and Bound, Transportation time, Optimal sequence