Online scheduling in manufacturing : a cumulative delay approach

This book introduces new approaches to online scheduling based on a concept of cumulative delay. The cumulative delay is regarded as consolidated information of uncertainties under a dynamic environment in manufacturing and can be collected constantly without much effort at any points in time during a schedule execution. In this approach, the cumulative delay of the schedule has the important role of a criterion for making a decision whether or not a schedule revision is carried out. The cumulative delay approach to trigger schedule revisions has the following capabilities for the practical decision-making: To reduce frequent schedule revisions which do not necessarily improve a current situation with much expense for its operation; To avoid overreacting to disturbances dependent on strongly an individual shop floor circumstance; and To simplify the monitoring process of a schedule status. --