An artificial immune algorithm for multiple-route job shop scheduling problem

This paper addresses the multiple-route job shop scheduling problem to minimize makespan. The problem is recognized to be extremely difficult because of its combinatorial nature of integer optimization and the large size of the real problem. The goal is, thus, to obtain near-optimal schedules in a computationally efficient manner. Mathematical formulation of the problem is first presented. Then, an approach based on artificial immune algorithm is proposed. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed approach, 30 problems in small, medium, and large size are designed and solved using the proposed approach. Problems are also solved using Lingo software and the results are compared. The computational results show that the proposed approach generates high-quality schedules in a timely fashion.