Title: Optimising production scheduling decisions in flowshop manufacturing cells for a sportswear manufacturing case

Authors: Sebastian Cáceres-Gelvez; Martín Darío Arango-Serna; Julian Andres Zapata-Cortes

Addresses: Grupo de Investigación GICO – Logística Industrial Organizacional, Departamento de Ingeniería de la Organización, Facultad de Minas, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Medellín, Colombia; Grupo de Investigación EUREKA de Ingeniería Industrial UDES, Programa de Ingeniería Industrial, Facultad de Ingenierías, Universidad de Santander, Cúcuta, Colombia ' Grupo de Investigación GICO – Logística Industrial Organizacional, Departamento de Ingeniería de la Organización, Facultad de Minas, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Medellín, Colombia ' Escuela de Negocios, Fundación Universitaria CEIPA, Sabaneta, Colombia

Abstract: This paper aims to reduce makespan and total weighted tardiness (TWT) by applying a cellular manufacturing system (CMS) approach based on formulations for the flowshop group-scheduling problem (FSGSP) to the sewing area of a sportswear manufacturing company in Colombia. The main contribution of this paper is the application of recent FSGSP models to a novel case study in the apparel industry. As part of the methodology, two FSGSP models framed in a CMS environment were proposed based on the literature review. In addition, a genetic algorithm (GA) was developed to evaluate this application in terms of makespan and TWT. The results showed that the proposed approach completely reduced the total tardiness penalty costs and 56.23% for makespan compared to the current state. These results seek to promote the application of models and techniques for addressing the lack of productivity, high waste, and customer dissatisfaction in this Colombian industry.

Keywords: flowshop group scheduling; cellular manufacturing; genetic algorithm; apparel industry; total weighted tardiness; TWT; makespan.

DOI: 10.1504/IJAOM.2024.140459

International Journal of Advanced Operations Management, 2024 Vol.15 No.4, pp.324 - 348

Accepted: 16 Oct 2023
Published online: 19 Aug 2024 *

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