An Evolutionary Algorithm for the Sequence Coordination in Furniture Production

In the material flow of a plant, parts are grouped in batches, each having as attributes the shape and the color. In both departments, a changeover occurs when the attribute of a new part changes. The problem consists in finding a common sequence of batches optimizing an overall utility index. A metaheuristic approach is presented which allows to solve a set of real-life instances and performs satisfactorily on a large sample of experimental data.