Efficient meta heuristic algorithms to minimize mean flow time in no-wait two stage flow shops with parallel and identical machines

摘要

The no-wait two stage flexible manufacturing problem is an important problem in flow shops. This paper investigates the no-wait two stage flexible flow shop with a minimizing mean flow time performance measure. Six meta-heuristic algorithms are developed to solve the problem. In addition some numerical experiments are established to compare the efficiency of the proposed algorithms to each other. The results of the simulation study are illustrated to testify to the performance of the proposed algorithms. This is followed by proposing the most efficient algorithm and giving concluding remarks and potential areas for further research.