Modified Cuckoo Search Algorithm for Solving Permutation Flow Shop Problem

In this paper, a modified cuckoo search (MCS) algorithm is proposed for solving the permutation flow shop scheduling problem (PFSP). Firstly, to make CS suitable for solving PFSPs, the largest position value (LPV) rule is presented to convert the continuous values of individuals in CS to job permutations. Secondly, after the CS-based exploration, a simple but efficient local search, which is designed according to the PFSPs’ landscape, is applied to emphasize exploitation. In addition, the proposed algorithm is combined with the path relinking. Simulation results and comparisons based on benchmarks demonstrate the MCS is an effective approach for flow shop scheduling problems.