• IE interfaces
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.208-217
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• 2004

This paper deals with a process planning problem in the flexible assembly system (FAS). The problem is to assign assembly tasks to stations with limited working space and to determine assembly routing with the objective of minimizing transfer time of the products among stations, while satisfying precedence relations among the tasks and upper-bound workload constraints for each station. In the process planning of FAS, the optimality of assembly routing depends on tasks loading. The integration of tasks loading and assembly routing is therefore important for an efficient utilization of FAS. To solve the integrated problem at the same time, in this paper we propose a new method using an artificial intelligent search technique, named 2-leveled symbiotic evolutionary algorithm. Through computational experiments, the performance of the proposed algorithm is compared with those of a traditional evolutionary algorithm and a symbiotic evolutionary algorithm. The experimental results show that the proposed algorithm outperforms the algorithms compared.

• Journal of Korean Institute of Industrial Engineers
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.65-77
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• 2003

This paper addresses FMS(Flexible Manufacturing System) loading problems with machine, tool and process flexibilities. When designing FMS planning, it is important to take account of these flexibilities for an efficient utilization of the resources. However, almost all the existing researches do not appropriately consider various flexibilities due to the problem complexity. This paper presents a new evolutionary algorithm to solve the FMS loading problems with machine, tool and process flexibilities. The algorithm is named a multi-level symbiotic evolutionary algorithm. The proposed algorithm is compared with the existing ones in terms of solution quality and convergence speed. The experimental results confirm the effectiveness of our approach.

• Journal of Korean Institute of Industrial Engineers
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.130-145
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• 2004

This paper addresses the integrated problem of process planning and scheduling in FMS (Flexible Manufacturing System). The integration of process planning and scheduling is important for an efficient utilization of manufacturing resources. In this paper, a new method using an artificial intelligent search technique, called asymmetric multileveled symbiotic evolutionary algorithm, is presented to handle the two functions at the same time. Efficient genetic representations and operator schemes are considered. While designing the schemes, we take into account the features specific to each of process planning and scheduling problems. The performance of the proposed algorithm is compared with those of a traditional hierarchical approach and existing evolutionary algorithms. The experimental results show that the proposed algorithm outperforms the compared algorithms.

• Journal of the Korean Operations Research and Management Science Society
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.1-15
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• 2003

This paper presents a new evolutionary algorithm to solve complex multi-level integration problems, which is called multi-level symbiotic evolutionary algorithm (MEA). The MEA uses an efficient feedback mechanism to flow evolution information between and within levels, to enhance parallel search capability, and to improve convergence speed and population diversity. To show the MEA's applicability, It is applied to the integrated planning of production and distribution in supply chain management. The encoding and decoding methods are devised for the integrated problem. A set of experiments has been carried out, and the results are reported. The superiority of the algorithm's performance is demonstrated through experiments.

• Journal of the Korean Operations Research and Management Science Society
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.25-43
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• 2010

We consider a multi-objective balancing and sequencing problem in mixed model assembly lines, which is important for an efficient use of the assembly lines. In this paper, we present a neighborhood symbiotic evolutionary algorithm to simultaneously solve the two problems of balancing and model sequencing under multiple objectives. We aim to find a set of well-distributed solutions close to the true Pareto optimal solutions for decision makers. The proposed algorithm has a two-leveled structure. At Level 1, two populations are operated : One consists of individuals each of which represents a partial solution to the balancing problem and the other consists of individuals for the sequencing problem. Level 2, which is an upper level, works one population whose individuals represent the combined entire solutions to the two problems. The process of Level 1 imitates a neighborhood symbiotic evolution and that of Level 2 simulates an endosymbiotic evolution together with an elitist strategy to promote the capability of solution search. The performance of the proposed algorithm is compared with those of the existing algorithms in convergence, diversity and computation time of nondominated solutions. The experimental results show that the proposed algorithm is superior to the compared algorithms in all the three performance measures.

• Journal of Korean Institute of Industrial Engineers
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2011

This paper presents a new method that can solve the integrated problem of combined location routing and inventory problem (CLRIP) efficiently. The CLRIP is used to establish facilities from several candidate depots, to find the optimal set of vehicle routes, and to determine the inventory policy in order to minimize the total system cost. We propose a mathematical model for the CLRIP with budget constrained. Because this model is a nonpolynomial (NP) problem, we propose a endosymbiotic evolutionary algorithm (EEA) which is a kind of symbiotic evolutionary algorithm (SEA). The heuristic method is used to obtaining the initial solutions for the EEA. The experimental results show that EEA perform very well compared to the existing heuristic methods with considering inventory control decisions.

• Journal of the Korean Operations Research and Management Science Society
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.39-55
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• 2012

This paper presents an endosymbiotic evolutionary algorithm (EEA) to solve both problems of line balancing and model sequencing in a mixed-model two-sided assembly line (MMtAL) simultaneously. It is important to have a proper balancing and model sequencing for an efficient operation of MMtAL. EEA imitates the natural evolution process of endosymbionts, which is an extension of existing symbiotic evolutionary algorithms. It provides a proper balance between parallel search with the separated individuals representing partial solutions and integrated search with endosymbionts representing entire solutions. The strategy of localized coevolution and the concept of steady-state genetic algorithms are used to improve the search efficiency. The experimental results reveal that EEA is better than two compared symbiotic evolutionary algorithms as well as a traditional genetic algorithm in solution quality.

• Journal of the Korean Operations Research and Management Science Society
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.77-91
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• 2007

In this paper, we present a symbiotic evolutionary algorithm for multi-objective optimization. The goal in multi-objective evolutionary algorithms (MOEAs) is to find a set of well-distributed solutions close to the true Pareto optimal solutions. Most of the existing MOEAs operate one population that consists of individuals representing the entire solution to the problem. The proposed algorithm has a two-leveled structure. The structure is intended to improve the capability of searching diverse and food solutions. At the lower level there exist several populations, each of which represents a partial solution to the entire problem, and at the upper level there is one population whose individuals represent the entire solutions to the problem. The parallel search with partial solutions at the lower level and the Integrated search with entire solutions at the upper level are carried out simultaneously. The performance of the proposed algorithm is compared with those of the existing algorithms in terms of convergence and diversity. The optimization problems with continuous variables and discrete variables are used as test-bed problems. The experimental results confirm the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.

• Journal of the Korean Operations Research and Management Science Society
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.141-155
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• 2006

In this paper, we address an extended hub-and-spoke transportation network design problem (EHSNP). In the existing hub location problems, the location and number of spokes, and shipments on spokes are given as input data. These may, however, be viewed as the variables according to the areas which they cover. Also, the vehicle routing in each spoke needs to be considered to estimate the network cost more correctly. The EHSNP is a problem of finding the location of hubs and spokes, and pickup/delivery routes from each spoke, while minimizing the total related transportation cost in the network. The EHSNP is an integrated problem that consists of several interrelated sub-problems. To solve EHSNP, we present an approach based on a symbiotic evolutionary algorithm (symbiotic EA), which are known as an efficient tool to solve complex integrated optimization problems. First, we propose a framework of symbiotic EA for EHSNP and its genetic elements suitable for each sub-problem. To analyze the proposed algorithm, the extensive experiments are performed with various test-bed problems. The results show that the proposed algorithm is promising in solving the EHSNP.

• Proceedings of the Korean Operations and Management Science Society Conference
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• 2006.11a
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• pp.573-576
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• 2006

This paper deals with multi-objective optimization problem of finding a set of well-distributed solutions close to the true Pareto optimal solutions. In this paper, we present a two-leveled symbiotic evolutionary algorithm to efficiently solve the problem. Most of the existing multi-objective evolutionary algorithms (MOEAs) operate one population that consists of individuals representing the complete solution to the problem. The proposed algorithm maintains several populations, each of which represents a partial solution to the entire problem, and has a structure with two levels. The parallel search and the structure are intended to improve the capability of searching diverse and good solutions. The performance of the proposed algorithm is compared with those of the existing algorithms in terms of convergence and diversity. The experimental results confirm the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.