Distributed evolutionary algorithms for simulation optimization

The optimization of such complex systems as manufacturing systems often necessitates the use of simulation. In this paper, the use of evolutionary algorithms is suggested for the optimization of simulation models. Several types of variables are taken into account. The reduction of computing cost is achieved through the parallelization of this method, which allows several simulation experiments to be run simultaneously. Emphasis is put on a distributed approach where several computers manage both their own local population of solutions and their own simulation experiments, exchanging solutions using a migration operator. After a first evaluation through a mathematical function with a known optimum, the benefits of this new approach are demonstrated through the example of a transport lot sizing and transporter allocation problem in a manufacturing flow shop system, which is solved using a distributed software implemented on a network of eight Sun workstations