Title: Spreadsheet-based computations for the flowshop problem with synchronous transfers

Authors: Kenneth R. Baker

Addresses: Tuck School of Business, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755, USA

Abstract: Even when the research literature makes available to us the latest, most sophisticated solution algorithms, it may be possible to satisfy our needs with a generic solution approach. Faced with the need to find a solution to a challenging sequencing problem, we might be well served by relying on off-the-shelf optimisation software, implemented in Excel. To illustrate this point as it applies to sequencing problems, we revisit some results from the recent literature and compare the outcomes we can obtain with a specialised algorithm to those from a general-purpose, spreadsheet-based approach.

Keywords: sequencing; flowshop scheduling; optimisation; heuristics; spreadsheets; integer programming; synchronous transfers.

DOI: 10.1504/IJPS.2014.066708

International Journal of Planning and Scheduling, 2014 Vol.2 No.1, pp.77 - 86

Received: 02 Aug 2014
Accepted: 05 Oct 2014
Published online: 14 Jan 2015 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article