The metaheuristic GRASP as an upper bound for a branch and bound algorithm in a scheduling problem with non-related parallel machines and sequence-dependent setup times

This paper approaches a scheduling problem with parallel non-related machines, sequencedependent setup times, due dates, weighted jobs and eligibility constraints. A branch and bound algorithm (B&B) is developed and a solution provided by the metaheuristic GRASP is used as an upper bound. Instances are generated and solved by the B&B. The results are compared to the solutions found by the MILP solver XPRESS. The algorithm is shown experimentally to perform very well for problems with up to 17 jobs. A conclusion is shown, and new tests for the full article are proposed.