TSALBP: Time and Space constrained Assembly Line Balancing Problems
A multiobjective genetic algorithm and robustness information function for time and space assembly line balancing
Authors
Manuel Chica2, Óscar Cordón2, Sergio Damas2 and Joaquín Bautista1
2 European Centre for Soft Computing
Abstract
The time and space assembly line balancing problem (TSALBP) is
a realistic multiobjective version of assembly line balancing industrial problems
involving the joint optimization of conflicting criteria such as the cycle time, the
number of stations, and the area of these stations. However, the existing problem
formulation does not consider the industrial scenario where the demand of a set of
mixed products is variable and uncertain. In this contribution we introduce a novel
robustness function to measure the robustness of the line configuration when the
production plans demand changes. The function is used as additional a posteriori
information for the non-dominated solutions found by an advanced multiobjective
genetic algorithm. Because of their independence, these robustness functions
can be used in conjunction with any other multiobjective metaheuristic. Results
show how the use of the robustness function can help the decision maker to select
robust non-dominated solutions when future demand conditions vary in the
assembly line configurations.