A heuristic algorithm to batching and loading problems in a flexible manufacturing system

Part type selection and machine loading are two major problems in the production planning of flexible manufacturing systems (FMS). The two problems are viewed as selecting subsets from the jobs of part types in a planning horizon and allocating jobs of the subsets among machines. In this paper, in order to develop a practical and efficient approach to solving FMS production planning problems, a heuristic algorithm is suggested that develops heuristic rules with the objective of minimisation of the number of tool changes and minimisation of the imbalance in per machine. To compare the proposed algorithm, a series of computational experiments is done on randomly generated test problems and the results show that the developed algorithm is very simple and efficient.