Optimum Scheduling of a Multi-Machine FMS with Alternative Routing Using Crow Search Algorithm

This article addresses the machines and automated guided vehicles (AGVs) concurrent scheduling with alternative machines in a multi-machine flexible manufacturing system (FMS) in order to provide the best optimum sequences for the minimization of makespan (MKSN).The assignment of AGVs and related trips, such as the dead headed trip and loaded trip times of AGVs to jb-ons, as well as the decision to select machines for job-operations (jb-ons) and the sequencing of jb-ons on the machines, make this problem extremely difficult to solve. This paper offers a mixed integer nonlinear programming (MINLP) formulation for modeling the problem, as well as the crow search algorithm (CSA) to solve the problem. For verification, a manufacturing company's industrial problem is employed. The findings indicate that CSA performs better than the existing techniques, and that the utilization of alternative machines for the operations can bring the MKSN and cost down.