IP-based real-time dispatching for two-machine batching problem with time window constraints

A binary integer programming based real-time dispatching heuristic (i-RTD) approach to minimize the makespan of the two-machine batching flow-shop problem with time window constraints is presented for the first time. By scheduling only necessary batches at each iteration, i-RTD works with considerably fewer binary variables so that it runs in real-time. The experimental study demonstrates the proposed i-RTD can generate the efficient solution in real-time, which implies we can implement the proposed approach into real industry where a quick and efficient schedule is required.