Optimization of multi-product constrained manufacturing problem with shelf lives using metaheuristic algorithms

This article addresses the Economic Lot Scheduling Problem (ELSP) where multiple items produced on a single machine have different production frequencies and specified shelf lives. In the case of unavailable inventory, total backordering is allowed for any of the products. However, production of each item more than once per cycle may be more cost-effective, it might bring about an infeasible schedule. Mathematical models are formulated for solving a multi-item production problem to obtain the minimum yearly cost and feasible manufacturing schedule. Efficient search procedures are used to obtain the optimal solution by employing metaheuristic algorithms, namely genetic algorithm (GA) and simulated annealing (SA). The computational results indicate the prominence of the applied algorithms regarding lower total costs compared to other approaches existing in the literature.