Optimal single-machine batch scheduling for the manufacture, transportation and JIT assembly of precast construction with changeover costs within due dates

The manufacture, transportation and on-site assembly sectors of precast construction projects are often considered separately and managed by rule of thumb, causing an inefficient use of resources and postponed delivery. This study views these sectors as a whole from the perspective of a single machine batch-scheduling problem. A dynamic programming algorithm, which aims to search for solutions that entail maximum production efficiency, was developed accordingly with the constraints of changeover costs and production deadlines. We tested the method's ability by processing as many products as possible simultaneously using real data collected from a precast factory in a simulation and compared the effect with a previous study. We found that our method, possesses great potential to improve the efficiency of precast production. (C) 2017 Published by Elsevier B.V.