No abstract

Most facility layout problems have departments with unequal areas and have signi® cant rearrangement costs. This paper describes a model and improved algorithm which simultaneously handles these parameters. An existing algorithm solves the dynamic facilities layout problem while permitting the departments to have unequal areas. One part of the algorithm solves a mixed integer programming problem to ® nd the desired block diagram layout. This large, complex problem could only be solved optimally for small problems. Therefore a preprocessing method was developed to prespecify certain obviou s department pair orientations, which had previously required binary variables. The method uses estimated location, department sizes, and¯ow costs to determine the probable variable values. Then, a revised branch and boun d strategy solves for the less obvious department pair orientations. Test results show a signi® cant cost reduction on a variety of previously published problems, and feasible solutions to previously unsolved problems. The algorithm found a layout solution to the standard CR AF T problem which has 10 . 5% lower costs than the previously best published layout.

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract