MSc Industrial Engineering
«Mixed-integer linear programming model applied to production scheduling in the soft drink industry»
In this study, the formulation of a mixed-integer linear programming model applied to production scheduling in the soft drink industry is addressed. The model considers the production of beverages with different flavors and formats in two synchronized production stages: preparation of syrup in storage tanks and bottling syrup in packaging lines. This model defines the order of the products at each stage of production with makespan minimization, taking into account aspects such as sequence-dependent set-up times, synchronization between production stages, several tanks and packaging lines, capacity constraints and time constraints (deadlines). Also considered is the property of job splitting in first stage, which reduces waiting times in the packaging lines. Due to the complexity of the model, generally classified as NP-Hard, it is presented a strategy for solution in two stages, the first of which uses the model to a smaller problem and, in the second, uses a heuristic or decision rule to set some decisions. This study includes the application on a real-world problem of a beverage bottling company. The results show that on average the application managed to improve 15.67% the company’s current solution.