A new heuristic approach for a computer‐aided facility layout
Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management
ISSN: 1741-038X
Article publication date: 1 October 2006
Abstract
Purpose
This paper seeks to apply a heuristic approach to solve the facility layout problem and the description of a new computer‐aided layout design system.
Design/methodology/approach
The system utilizes a new approach for computing the adjacency scores, stacking of departments, and reserving or changing the department's shapes and dimensions. The system algorithms are based on calculating the minimal distance between departments and modified departmental closeness rating.
Findings
The research addressed in this paper has resulted in developing FLASP (Facility LAyout Support Program) software. FLASP could reduce the number of iterations needed to reach the optimal solution of the layout problems by restricting the location for each department depending on the relationships between them.
Practical implications
The system is built on a set of algorithms that are concerned with stacking, calculating the shortest rectilinear distances between departments, adjacency matrix system, modifications capabilities, and plans main aisles surrounding each department.
Originality/value
The program gathers the importance of both the adjacency relationships and the distances between departments in a way that depends on the concept that the adjacency score should not be nullified just because the two departments are no longer strictly adjacent. It rather considers that the adjacency score fades away gradually with the increase of distance between the two departments which leads to a main difference in distance consideration.
Keywords
Citation
Rawabdeh, I. and Tahboub, K. (2006), "A new heuristic approach for a computer‐aided facility layout", Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management, Vol. 17 No. 7, pp. 962-986. https://doi.org/10.1108/17410380610688269
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2006, Emerald Group Publishing Limited