A scheduling application in the electronics industry

This discussion examines an application of production scheduling in the electronics industry environment. The specific area to be examined is the Line Transmission Division of Electronic Communications Pty. Ltd., a leading manufacturer of communications equipment in Australia. The environment in which this division exists is one of high technological change, and falling prices. The market consists of only one buyer of significance. Consequently, competition is fierce and efficiency all important. The production methods used in this area mean that great reliance is placed on the adequacy of the production schedule: The number of products to be scheduled and the number of constraints that should be applied to the schedule make this function an ideal math programming/computer application. The discussion begins with a description of the nature and uses of the division's production, the scheduling method currently used and the reasons why this method is unsatisfactory. Given the specific nature of the problem, the author has been unable to find any published works on similar applications. Consequently, no analysis of this type has been undertaken. Two possible solutions to the scheduling problem are examined; firstly, an approach using integer programming techniques, and secondly (and from a practical viewpoint, more importantly), a heuristic approach resulting in a flexible, and "user friendly" computer program to perform the scheduling function. Finally, there is a short analysis of the cost reductions expected from the application of the heuristic model