Forward recursive scheme with improved marginal analysis heuristic for machine expansion scheduling in a new job shop

This study attempts to develop a method of machine expansion scheduling which determines how many machines should be purchased and allocated to every workstation during each period within the prescheduled ramp-up planning horizon in a new job shop to meet expected performance targets and minimize investment in machinery. This study suggests using the forward recursive scheme associated with marginal analysis heuristic, which itself is characterized by inherent simplicity and broad applicability, to solve the intricate problems of machine expansion scheduling. Furthermore, this study improves the marginal analysis heuristic, meaning that the algorithm incorporates an additional refining procedure to increase the possibility of achieving a solution close to the real optimum. Finally, this study used production data from an actual semiconductor manufacturer as an example to illustrate the proposed analytic algorithm.