A production rescheduling expert simulation system

The job shop rescheduling problem is considered as a particularly hard combinatorial optimization problem. This problem deals with uncertainty caused by the exterior business environment and interior production conditions. Production rescheduling is a common practice in Chinese manufacturing firms. Four sources of production disturbances have been identified: (1) incorrect work; (2) machine breakdowns; (3) rework due to quality problem; and (4) rush orders. These disturbances are fuzzy and random. In order to solve this ill-structured production problem, a production rescheduling expert simulation system is proposed in this paper. The production rescheduling expert simulation system integrates many techniques and methods, including simulation technique, artificial neural network, expert knowledge and dispatching rules. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.