An Iterated Min-Max procedure for practical workload balancing on non-identical parallel machines in manufacturing systems

Abstract

This paper presents an original approach for a practical workload balancing problem on non-identical parallel machines in manufacturing systems. After showing the limitations of an initial model, in partic- ular to support relevant decisions, the min–max fairness workload balancing problem is motivated and positioned in the literature. The Iterated Min–Max (IMM) procedure is then presented, with its properties, and illustrated. The IMM consists in solving a succession of linear programs using information from dual variables obtained at each iteration. Computational results on industrial instances show the relevance of the approach when compared to the initial model. The current use of the IMM procedure in an industrial tool is discussed.