Conflict‐free tow train routing in just‐in‐time assembly lines

Conflicts among tow trains pose a significant challenge in just‐in‐time manufacturing systems, impacting both safety and efficiency. This paper proposes an innovative solution to achieve conflict‐free tow train routing. In our approach, the production layout is partitioned into “pixels.” The A‐star...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International transactions in operational research Vol. 32; no. 6; pp. 3667 - 3692
Main Authors: Gündüz Mengübaş, Gül, Sörensen, Kenneth, Kotan, Muhammed
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Oxford Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.11.2025
Subjects:
Algorithms
Assembly lines
A‐star algorithm
conflict‐free routing
Layouts
Manufacturing
optimization
Pixels
Simulated annealing
simulated annealing algorithm
Work stations
Workstations
ISSN:0969-6016, 1475-3995
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Conflicts among tow trains pose a significant challenge in just‐in‐time manufacturing systems, impacting both safety and efficiency. This paper proposes an innovative solution to achieve conflict‐free tow train routing. In our approach, the production layout is partitioned into “pixels.” The A‐star (A*) algorithm is then employed on this pixel‐based layout to create a distance matrix between workstations. Subsequently, a simulated annealing heuristic optimizes tow train routes to deliver parts demanded at the workstations. Additionally, a conflict detection algorithm identifies collisions among tow trains on the pixel layout, which are then resolved through two distinct conflict avoidance strategies. The algorithms are implemented and tested on a set of benchmark instances, demonstrating their effectiveness.
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ISSN:0969-6016
1475-3995
DOI:10.1111/itor.13596