Publication in European Journal of Operational Research
Together with scientists from the University of Mainz and the University of Klagenfurt, Prof. Dr. Anja Fischer and Dr. Mirko Dahlbeck have designed an algorithm that can be used to precisely solve special arrangement problems that occur in factory planning, for example, for medium-sized instances. Corresponding path structures can be found, for example, in layout planning with production islands, in high-control warehouses or at airports. The basis is the enumeration of all possible assignments of objects to the cells (such as paths or building parts). For a fixed assignment, the arrangement problem breaks down into smaller problems that can be solved independently. The paper shows how the number of cell assignments to be examined can be significantly reduced, which makes an exact solution of the problems possible in the first place. For example, the new algorithm can be used to determine machine arrangements in the context of factory planning that minimize transport costs.
The paper “Exact approaches for the combined cell layout problem” (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejor.2022.04.031) has been published in the “European Journal of Operational Research”, one of the leading journals in the field of Operations Research (VHB-JOURQUAL3: A; Scimago Journal Ranking: Q1).