Multi-floor layout design of cellular manufacturing systems

This paper presents a novel integer linear programming model for designing multi-floor layout of cellular manufacturing systems. The proposed model incorporates several design features including alternative process routings, operation sequence, processing time, production volume of parts, duplicate machines, machine capacity, purchasing machine, lot splitting, material flow between machines, intra-cell layout, inter-cell layout, multi-floor layout and flexible configuration. A novel aspect of this model is the utilization of multi-floor layout to locate machines of equal area in the cells configured with flexible shapes and formed in the floors of a plant. A numerical example is solved by the Lingo software to verify the performance of the proposed model and illustrate the model features.