Computerized facility layout with graph theory

Abstract This paper describes a plant layout procedure based on graph theory. Given a relationship chart for the departments of the layout, the branch and bound technique is used to obtain an optimal relationship diagram. The planar representation of this relationship diagram is next obtained via a single planarity testing procedure. The planar graph's dual graph is found which gives the topology of the proposed final layout. Due to the time and complexities involved, the entire layout procedure described to this point is computerized. Using the topology of the dual graph, one can place the departments into the final layout. An example is presented to demonstrate the plant layout procedure in its entirely.