Manufacturing systems layout, station location, and flow network design
Abstract
The plant layout design problem is divided into four components: (a) block layout design, (b) input/output station location, (c) flow network design, and (d) aisles netting out (accounting for aisle space). Input/Output stations are the points in the building through which loading/unloading of material is done, or points at which material enters or leaves a department. A flow network is a material flow structure which may represent aisles, conveyor belts, automated guided vehicles' paths, etc. The flow network is expanded and given area (width) in step d. In this dissertation models and solution techniques for the design of some of the components are presented. For best results, these components must be integrated. Optimization models, integrating the design of station location and flow network, are given. Even a relaxation of this model is shown to be NP-hard. Based on this relaxation, a graph theoretic Node Selection Problem (NSP) is defined. It is shown that the p-median problem with mutual communication and a relaxed version of the Quadratic Assignment Problem are special cases of the (NSP). Exact solution method for special cases and an heuristic solution procedure for the general case are developed. An algorithm to recursively find an optimum communication spanning tree (OCST) for a special case is given. The OCST can be a flow network. It can also be a useful design skeleton which can help in developing good block layouts.
Degree
Ph.D.
Advisors
Lowe, Purdue University.
Subject Area
Business costs|Industrial engineering|Operations research
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