Production planning and control

Academic Year 2022/2023 - Teacher: ANTONIO COSTA

Expected Learning Outcomes

Achieving specific skills and competencies about development nd implementation of procedures concerning with medium- and short-term production planning issues: 

- Solving production scheduling problems;

- Design and implementation of heuristic search algorithms;

- Mathematical linear programming modeling;

- Design of producmtion systems and assembly lines;

Course Structure

Basically, the course is strucutred into two parts. The first part of the course focuses on the scheduling theory and its application on manufacturign systsems. Also, principle of heuristic and metaheuristic optimization will be addressed. The second part of the course mainly regards balancing and sequencing of assembly line scheduling problems.  

Required Prerequisites

Foundamentals of MS Excel an programming languages (e.g., Vsual basic for application)

Matlab editing

Developing and solving linear programming models

Attendance of Lessons

- fontal lectures 

- classroom exercises

Detailed Course Content

Introduction to scheduling. Theory of Scheduling. the single machine issue: scheduling problem without due dates, scheduling problem including due dates. Omptimization methods about the basic single machine scheduling problem. Heuristic methods for the single machine scheduling problem. Earliness and tardiness related production costs. Mathematical programming models about the single machine scheduling problem. Sequencing problem and stochastic approach to scheduling problems. Exstensions of the single machine scheduling problem. Parallel machines scheduling problem. The scheduling problem on flow shop production systems. Stochastic scheduling on flow shop production systems. Classification of assembly line-based production systems. Single model assembly lines. Mixed model assembly lines. Balancing problem in assembly lines. Sequencing problem in assembly lines. Visual Basic for Application: implementation within MS Excel spreadsheets of different optimization techniques for solving scheduling problems.

Whther teaching will be carried out in mixed mode or remotely, it may be necessary to introduce changes with respect to previous statements, in line with the programme planned and outlined in the syllabus.

Textbook Information

Principles of Sequencing and scheduling, K. R. Baker and D. Trietsch, Wiley, New Jersey, 2009, ISBN 978-0-470-39165-5.

Balancing and sequencing of assembly lines, A. Scholl, Physica-Verlag, 1999, ISBN 3-7908-1180-7.

Course Planning

 SubjectsText References
1Production Scheduling and heuristic optimizationPrinciples of Sequencing and scheduling, K. R. Baker and D. Trietsch, Wiley, New Jersey, 2009, ISBN 978-0-470-39165-5.
2Medium- and short-term production planningBalancing and sequencing of assembly lines, A. Scholl, Physica-Verlag, 1999, ISBN 3-7908-1180-7.

Learning Assessment

Learning Assessment Procedures

All students who achieved a certain threshold of presences will be allowed to take part to an anticipated exam (written), at the end of the course. During the course, a specific project work will be assigned by the teacher. Any student passing the written exam will be invited to discuss the his/her project work during the oral exam. 

Examples of frequently asked questions and / or exercises

- Describing the difference between exact and heuristic methods also by means of some numerical examples.

- Drawing the flow chart of the simulated annealing algorithm

- wha does it mea "feasible line balance" for a single model assembly line balancing problem?