Job-shop scheduling with limited buffer capacities - Models solution representations heuristics

Recent developments in manufacturing processes have increased the role ofjust-in-time production systems. Just-in-time production leads to highlycoordinated manufacturing processes continuous flow of products betweenwork stations and reduced storage capacities in the shop floor. In this bookSilvia Heitmann investigates job-shop problems where limited capacity buffersto store jobs in non-processing periods are present. Besides a generalbuffer model also specific configurations are considered. The key issue todevelop fast heuristics for the job-shop problem with buffers is to find a compactrepresentation of solutions. In this work two solution representationsfor the job-shop problem with buffers are proposed and it is investigatedwhether the given solution representations can be simplified for specificbuffer configurations. Based on the given solution representations localsearch heuristics are developped in the second part of the book. The bookaddresses to scientists in mathematics informatics and economics as well asstaff coordinating production processes.