Single- and multi-objective facility layout with workflow interference considerations

The effect of workflow interference is a major concern in facility layout design. Yet, despite the extensive amount of research conducted on the facility layout problem, very little has been done to incorporate interference as part of an overall approach to layout design. This paper examines the impact of workflow interference considerations on facility layout analyses. Linear and nonlinear integer programming formulations of the problem are presented. The structural properties of the resulting formulations, as applied to facility design, are investigated. Finally, a multi-objective approach to facility layout design is presented, incorporating the traditional distance-based objective with that of workflow interference. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.