Thomas A. Lacksonen
Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering
Ohio University
Athens OH 45701-2979
Abstract
This paper describes a two-step algorithm for solving the facilities layout problem while assuming the departments can have varying areas. The first step solves a quadratic assignment problem formulation of the problem using a heuristic cutting plane routine. The second step solves a mixed integer linear programming problem to find the desired block diagram layout. The algorithm incorporates two concepts to make the solutions more practical. First, rearrangement costs are simultaneously considered along with flow costs in solving a dynamic layout problem involving multiple time periods. It is the only algorithm to solve a general dynamic layout problem with varying department areas. Second, regular department shapes are maintained by requiring all departments to be rectangular. Its formulation for doing this is more efficient than previous algorithms.
Journ. of the Operational Research Soc., 1994, 45, 1, 59-69.