This study is undertaken to improve the performance of a Chemotherapy Treatment Unit by increasing the throughput of the clinic and reducing the average patients’ waiting time. In order to achieve this objective, a simulation model of this system is built and several scenarios that target matching the arrival pattern of the patients and resources availability are designed and evaluated. After performing detailed analysis, one scenario proves to provide the best system’s performance. The best scenario determines a rational arrival pattern of the patient matching with the nurses’ availability and can serve 22.5% more patients daily. Although the simulation study shows the way to serve more patients daily, it does not explain how to sequence them properly to minimize the average patients’ waiting time. Therefore, an efficient scheduling algorithm was developed to build a scheduling template that minimizes the total flow time of the system.

This study is undertaken to improve the performance of a Chemotherapy Treatment Unit by increasing the throughput of the clinic and reducing the average patients’ waiting time. In order to achieve this objective, a simulation model of this system is built and several scenarios that target matching the arrival pattern of the patients and resources availability are designed and evaluated. After performing detailed analysis, one scenario proves to provide the best system’s performance. The best scenario determines a rational arrival pattern of the patient matching with the nurses’ availability and can serve 22.5% more patients daily. Although the simulation study shows the way to serve more patients daily, it does not explain how to sequence them properly to minimize the average patients’ waiting time. Therefore, an efficient scheduling algorithm was developed to build a scheduling template that minimizes the total flow time of the system.

In cellular manufacturing systems, minimization of the completion time has a great impact on the production time, material flow, and productivity. An effective scheduling is crucial to attaining the advantages of cellular manufacturing systems. This dissertation attempts to solve the Flowshop Manufacturing Cell (cellular flowshop) Scheduling Problem with Sequence Dependent Setup Times (FMCSP with SDSTs) considering two performance measures: the total flow time as a mono objective, and the makespan and total flow time combined as a bi-criteria scheduling problem. The proposed problem is known to be the NP-hard problem because of its complexity. Several metaheuristic algorithms based on Genetic Algorithm (GA), Simulated Annealing (SA), and Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) are developed for scheduling part families as well as jobs within each part family for FMCSP with SDSTs to minimize the total flow time. A local search method based on SA combined with PSO (named as PSO-SA) is proposed to enhance the intensification and improve the quality of the solution obtained by pure PSO. The effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed metaheuristics are evaluated based on the Relative Percentage Deviation (RPD) from its lower bound, and the robustness. Results indicate PSO-SA is performed similar to best available algorithms for small and medium size test problems. Yet, there is a very small deviation from best results for large problems. A Multi-objective Particle Swarm Optimization (MPSO) and a Multi-objective Simulated Annealing (MOSA) Algorithm are further proposed to solve the bi-criteria optimization problem to minimize the total flow time and makespan simultaneously. An improved PSO is combined with Threshold Acceptance (TA) algorithm to improve effectiveness of the proposed MPSO (named as IMPSO-TA) for the convergence of the obtained Pareto Front. The proposed algorithms are evaluated using several Quality Indicators (QI) measures for multiobjective optimization problems. The proposed algorithms can generate approximated Pareto Fronts in a reasonable CPU time. The proposed IMPSO-SA outperforms MOSA algorithm in terms of CPU time and minimizing the objective functions. / October 2015

Em um contexto industrial, a programação da produção tem como objetivo alocar recursos para operações de forma a aumentar a eficiência operacional do processo de fabricação. Esta programação pode ser modelada na forma de problemas de sequenciamento de tarefas, que são resolvidos visando minimizar um determinado critério de desempenho. A aplicação de métodos exatos nestes problemas possibilita encontrar a solução ótima, tanto para aplicação direta como para a validação de métodos heurísticos e metaheurísticas. Entretanto, a literatura mostra que os métodos exatos, tanto a resolução do problema pela modelagem em programação linear-inteira mista como o branch-and-bound, têm sua aplicação restrita à problemas de menores tamanhos. O objetivo deste trabalho é propor novas formulações de limitantes inferiores para a aplicação do branch-and-bound em problemas de flowshop permutacional visando aumentar sua eficiência e aplicabilidade. Os limitantes propostos são avaliados em problemas de flowshop permutacional com tempos de setup dependente da sequência, tendo como critérios de desempenho o tempo de fluxo total e o atraso total. A avaliação da aplicabilidade de cada limitante é feita através do número de nós explorados e o tempo computacional gasto pelo branch-and-bound para resolver problemas de diversos tamanhos. / In an industrial context, production sequencing aims at allocating resources for job processing while increasing manufacturing efficiency. This task can be modelled in the form of scheduling problems, which are solved by minimizing a pre-determined performance criterion. The use of exact methods allows the optimal solution to be found, which can be applied directly in the manufacturing shop or used to validate heuristic and metaheuristic methods. However, the literature shows that MILP and branch-and-bound, both exact methods, are restrained to small-sized scheduling problems. The aim of this project is to propose new lower bound formulations to be used in the branch-and-bound method for permutational flowshop probems, in order to extend its efficiency and applicability. The proposed bounds are tested in permutational flowshop problems with sequence dependent setup times, and using as performance criteria the total flow time and the total tardiness. The evaluation of each lower bounds applicability is done considering the number of explored nodes and the required computational time for the branch-and-bound to solve problem instances of different sizes.

O sequenciamento e a programação da produção trazem grandes benefícios financeiros às empresas se realizados de forma adequada. Atualmente, soluções generalizadas apresentam resultados aceitáveis, porém têm como consequência benefícios inferiores quando comparados a estudos específicos. O ramo da otimização de resultados possui dois tipos de soluções: as exatas para problemas de menores dimensões e não exatas, ou heurísticas, para problemas de médias e grandes dimensões. Este trabalho apresenta algoritmos exatos do tipo Branch & Bound e Modelos de Programação Linear Inteira Mista para solucionar quatro variações de problemas de scheduling: Fm|block|∑Cjm, Fm|block|∑Tj, Fm|block, Sijk|∑Cjm e Fm|block, Sijk|∑Tj. As abordagens utilizadas são inéditas na literatura e apresentaram resultados animadores para a maioria dos cenários. O limitante para o tempo total de fluxo obteve resposta ótima em 100% dos casos para problemas de até 20 tarefas e 4 máquinas em menos de uma hora. Para o tempo total de atraso, o limitante se mostrou mais eficiente quando os valores das due dates apresentam alta taxa de dispersão. Para os casos com setup, foram elaboradas três variações de limitantes para cada problema. O limitante com setup que apresentou o melhor desempenho foi o que obteve a melhor relação entre o seu valor numérico e seu custo computacional. Os modelos MILP solucionaram 100% dos problemas sem setup para até 20 tarefas e 4 máquinas e para os casos com setup, foram solucionados problemas de até 14 tarefas e 4 máquinas no tempo limite de uma hora. Os testes computacionais mostram a eficiência na redução do número de nós e, consequentemente, no tempo de execução. Portanto, o estudo realizado indica que, para problemas de pequeno porte e médio, os métodos em questão possuem grande potencial para aplicações práticas. / Job Sequence and Programming give benefits both financial and organizational to any company when performed properly. Nowadays, there is still a gap between theory and practice due to solutions that are short in specification. The analyzed problems differ in type and dimension thus modifying its complexity. The results optimization field is divided into two types of solution: the exact solution for minor problems and the non-exact solution for greater dimension problems. The present paper presents exact algorithms to solve the problems Fm|block|∑Cjm, Fm|block|∑Tj, Fm|block, Sijk|∑Cjm by the Branch & Bounds and Mixed Integer Linear Program models. The approaches are new and presented good results for most cases. Bounds for the no-setup total flow time scenario solved 100% of the 20 jobs and 4 machines cases. High dispersion range due dates contributed for the effectiveness of the no-setup total tardiness bound\'s effectiveness. Three different approaches were developed for the setup cases. The best approach aimed to optimize the value/effort factor for the B&B. The Mixed Integer Linear Program models solved 100% of the no-setup cases for 20 jobs and 4 machines. The MILPs setup cases solved optimally 14 jobs and 4 machines cases. Computational tests were executed and analyzed and they highlighted the node count reduction and, consequently, the execution time. The present study points out that the exact methods can be applied to small and medium scheduling problems in practice.

O sequenciamento e a programação da produção trazem grandes benefícios financeiros às empresas se realizados de forma adequada. Atualmente, soluções generalizadas apresentam resultados aceitáveis, porém têm como consequência benefícios inferiores quando comparados a estudos específicos. O ramo da otimização de resultados possui dois tipos de soluções: as exatas para problemas de menores dimensões e não exatas, ou heurísticas, para problemas de médias e grandes dimensões. Este trabalho apresenta algoritmos exatos do tipo Branch & Bound e Modelos de Programação Linear Inteira Mista para solucionar quatro variações de problemas de scheduling: Fm|block|∑Cjm, Fm|block|∑Tj, Fm|block, Sijk|∑Cjm e Fm|block, Sijk|∑Tj. As abordagens utilizadas são inéditas na literatura e apresentaram resultados animadores para a maioria dos cenários. O limitante para o tempo total de fluxo obteve resposta ótima em 100% dos casos para problemas de até 20 tarefas e 4 máquinas em menos de uma hora. Para o tempo total de atraso, o limitante se mostrou mais eficiente quando os valores das due dates apresentam alta taxa de dispersão. Para os casos com setup, foram elaboradas três variações de limitantes para cada problema. O limitante com setup que apresentou o melhor desempenho foi o que obteve a melhor relação entre o seu valor numérico e seu custo computacional. Os modelos MILP solucionaram 100% dos problemas sem setup para até 20 tarefas e 4 máquinas e para os casos com setup, foram solucionados problemas de até 14 tarefas e 4 máquinas no tempo limite de uma hora. Os testes computacionais mostram a eficiência na redução do número de nós e, consequentemente, no tempo de execução. Portanto, o estudo realizado indica que, para problemas de pequeno porte e médio, os métodos em questão possuem grande potencial para aplicações práticas. / Job Sequence and Programming give benefits both financial and organizational to any company when performed properly. Nowadays, there is still a gap between theory and practice due to solutions that are short in specification. The analyzed problems differ in type and dimension thus modifying its complexity. The results optimization field is divided into two types of solution: the exact solution for minor problems and the non-exact solution for greater dimension problems. The present paper presents exact algorithms to solve the problems Fm|block|∑Cjm, Fm|block|∑Tj, Fm|block, Sijk|∑Cjm by the Branch & Bounds and Mixed Integer Linear Program models. The approaches are new and presented good results for most cases. Bounds for the no-setup total flow time scenario solved 100% of the 20 jobs and 4 machines cases. High dispersion range due dates contributed for the effectiveness of the no-setup total tardiness bound\'s effectiveness. Three different approaches were developed for the setup cases. The best approach aimed to optimize the value/effort factor for the B&B. The Mixed Integer Linear Program models solved 100% of the no-setup cases for 20 jobs and 4 machines. The MILPs setup cases solved optimally 14 jobs and 4 machines cases. Computational tests were executed and analyzed and they highlighted the node count reduction and, consequently, the execution time. The present study points out that the exact methods can be applied to small and medium scheduling problems in practice.