Production scheduling for a flexible manufacturing environment operating under just-in-time involves solving for a different set of criteria compared with the traditional job-shop model. Practical considerations coupled with customer service orientation prevalent in modem organizations today require a scheduling system ensuring as far as possible that goods are delivered on time yet still maintain efficient use of resources within the manufacturing cells. Thus the multi-criteria problem is difficult to solve using existing heuristics without means to combine these rules and weight them accordingly. Furthermore, the ideal scheduling package will also take into consideration the interactions between resource and component to assist in optimal process planning. A revised scheduling system incorporating fuzzy logic to solve the multi criteria problem is proposed. In addition, the system is designed to be implemented using readily available software tools and through the use of fuzzy systems, able to be tailored to suit the characteristics of the target organization.
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