A new approach to modelling simulation and perturbation analysis for manufacturing scheduling problems (MSP)

The major difficulty in scheduling of finite capacity discrete manufacturing processes is concerned with the combinatorial explosion which occurs once one begins to consider the scheduling of workpieces through more than a few machines. In this paper, we show how to deal with the structure of complex assembly production systems hierarchically to achieve simplicity for these purposes, and describe two ´conservation laws of workpieces´ applicable to manufacturing scheduling problems. Some experiments and results will also be included. This approach can be used for both stochastic and deterministic dynamical systems in this area and can also be extended to other areas which require decision support.