Skip to main content
Log in

A tabu search experience in production scheduling

  • Applications In Production And Scheduling
  • Published:
Annals of Operations Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

During the last four years, tabu search has been shown to be a remarkably effective method in solving difficult combinatorial optimization problems. Nowhere has this success been more marked than in the timely and very important area of production scheduling. In this paper, we review some of the research that has contributed to that success. We also give a synthesis of the various tabu search mechanisms that have been employed, giving special attention to advances that have led to major improvements. In the final section of the paper, we suggest directions for future research.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. J. Adams, E. Balas and D. Zawack, The shifting bottleneck procedure for job shop scheduling, Manag. Sci. 34(1988)

  2. K.R. Baker,Introduction to Sequencing and Scheduling (Wiley, 1974).

  3. K.R. Baker and G.D. Scudder, Sequencing with earliness and tardiness penalties: A review, Oper. Res. 38(1990)22–36.

    Google Scholar 

  4. E. Balas, Machine sequencing via disjunctive graphs: An implicit enumeration algorithm, Oper. Res. 17(1969)941–957.

    Google Scholar 

  5. J.W. Barnes and J. Brennan, An improved algorithm for scheduling jobs on identical machines, AIIE Trans. 9(1977).

  6. J.W. Barnes and L. Vanston, Scheduling jobs with linear delay penalties and sequence dependent set-up costs, J. Oper. Res. 29(1981.

  7. J.W. Barnes and M. Laguna, Solving the multiple-machine weighted flow time problem using tabu search, IIE Trans. (1992) in press.

  8. J. Beardwood, J.H. Halton and J.M. Hammersley, The shortest path through many points, Proc. Cambridge Phil. Soc. 55(1959)299–327.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. R.W. Conway, W.L. Maxwell and L.W. Miller,Theory of Scheduling (Addison-Wesley, Reading, MA, 1970).

    Google Scholar 

  10. D. de Werra and A. Hertz, Tabu search techniques: A tutorial and an application to neural networks, OR Spectrum 11(1989)132–141.

    Google Scholar 

  11. J. Evans, Structural analysis of local search heuristics in combinatorial optimization, Comp. Oper. Res. 14(1987)465–477.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. T.F. Feo and M. Resende, A probabilistic heuristic for a computationally difficult set covering problem, Oper. Res. Lett. 8(1989)67–71.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. S. French,Sequencing and Scheduling (Ellis Horwood, 1982).

  14. M. Gendreau, A. Hertz and G. Laporte, A tabu search heuristic for the vehicle routing problem, Centre de Recherche sur les Transports, publication #777 (June 1991).

  15. F. Glover, Heuristics for integer programming using surrogate constraints, Dec. Sci. 8(1977)156–166.

    Google Scholar 

  16. F. Glover, Future paths for integer programming and links to artificial intelligence, Comp. Oper. Res. 13(1986)533–549.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. F. Glover, Tabu search. Part I, ORSA J. Comput. 1(1989)190–206.

    Google Scholar 

  18. F. Glover, Tabu search. Part II, ORSA J. Comput. 2(1990)4–32.

    Google Scholar 

  19. F. Glover, Tabu search: A tutorial, Interfaces 29(1990)74–94.

    Google Scholar 

  20. F. Glover, E. Taillard and D. de Werra, A user's guide to tabu search, Ann. Oper. Res. (1993), this volume.

  21. A. Hertz and D. de Werra, The tabu search metaheuristic: How we used it, Ann. Math. Art. Int. 1(1990)111–121.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. M. Laguna, Tabu search primer, Graduate School of Business and Administration, University of Colorado at Boulder (March 1992).

  23. M. Laguna, J.W. Barnes and F. Glover, Tabu search methods for a single machine scheduling problem, J. Int. Manufacturing 2(1991)63–73.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. M. Laguna and J.L. Gonzalez-Velarde, A search heuristic for just-in-time scheduling in parallel machines, J. Int. Manufacturing 2(1991)253–260.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. M. Laguna, J.W. Barnes and F. Glover, Scheduling jobs with linear delay penalties and sequence dependent setup costs and times using tabu search, Appl. Int. (1992) in press.

  26. M. Laguna and F. Glover, Integrating target analysis and tabu search for improved scheduling systems, Exp. Syst. Appl. (1992) in press.

  27. J. Lam, An efficient simulated annealing schedule, Ph.D. Dissertation, Report 8818. Department of Computer Science, Yale University (September 1988).

  28. E.L. Lawler, J.K. Lenstra, A Rinnooy Kan and D.B. Shmoys, Sequencing and scheduling: Algorithms and complexity, Report BS-R8909, Centre for Mathematics and Computer Science, Amsterdam, The Netherlands (1989).

    Google Scholar 

  29. T.L. Morin and R.E. Marsten, Branch and bound strategies for dynamic programming, Oper. Res. 24(1976)611–627.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. M.E. Nawaz, E. Enscore and I. Ham, A heuristic algorithm for them-machine,n-job flow shop sequencing problem, OMEGA 11(1983).

  31. F. Semet and E. Taillard, Solving real-life vehicle routing problems efficiently using tabu search, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, ORWP 91/03 (April 1991).

  32. E. Taillard, Parallel taboo search technique for the job shop scheduling problem, Research Report ORWP 89/11, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Départment de Mathématiques (July 1989).

  33. M. Troyon, Quelques heuristiques et résultats asymptotiques pour trois problèmes d'optimisation combinatoire, Thèse No. 754, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland (1988).

    Google Scholar 

  34. S. Tsubakitani and J.R. Evans, Optimizing tabu list size for the traveling salesman problem, College of Business Administration, University of Cincinnati (June 1991).

  35. P. van Laarhoven, E. Aarts and J. Lenstra, Job shop scheduling by simulated annealing, Report OSR8809, Centrum voor Wiskunde en Informatica, Amsterdam, The Netherlands (1988)

    Google Scholar 

  36. M. Widmer and A. Hertz, A new method for the flow sequencing problem, Eur. J. Oper. Res. 41(1989)186–193.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  37. M. Widmer, Job shop scheduling with tooling constraints: a tabu search approach, J. Oper. Res. Soc. 24(1991)75–82.

    Google Scholar 

  38. D.L Woodruff and M.L. Spearman, Sequencing and batching for two classes of jobs with deadlines and setup times, J. Prod. Oper. Manag. Soc. (1992) in press.

  39. D.L Woodruff and E. Zemel, Hashing vectors for tabu search, Ann. Oper. Res. (1993), this volume.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Barnes, J.W., Laguna, M. A tabu search experience in production scheduling. Ann Oper Res 41, 139–156 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02023072

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02023072

Keywords

Navigation