Improving Local Search for Fuzzy Scheduling Problems

TL;DR

This paper presents an enhanced local search method tailored for fuzzy scheduling problems with fitness plateaus, incorporating multi-criteria optimization to better handle dynamic job priorities in manufacturing contexts.

Contribution

It introduces an improved local search technique specifically designed for fuzzy scheduling problems with changing priorities, addressing a gap in existing methods.

Findings

Effective handling of fitness plateaus in fuzzy scheduling.

Improved scheduling performance with dynamic job priorities.

Application to real-world manufacturing scenarios.

Abstract

The integration of fuzzy set theory and fuzzy logic into scheduling is a rather new aspect with growing importance for manufacturing applications, resulting in various unsolved aspects. In the current paper, we investigate an improved local search technique for fuzzy scheduling problems with fitness plateaus, using a multi criteria formulation of the problem. We especially address the problem of changing job priorities over time as studied at the Sherwood Press Ltd, a Nottingham based printing company, who is a collaborator on the project.