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Current potential research project

Development of a Dynamic Task Scheduling System for Manufacturing based SMMEs

  1. Supervisors: Dr Sev Nagalingam
  2. Area: Sustainable Manufacturing , Manufacturing Engineering
  3. Abstract: Manufacturing task scheduling is an optimisation process that allocates limited manufacturing resources for parallel and sequential manufacturing activities considering manufacturing planning and capacity limitations. Finding an optimal scheduling solution for a typical manufacturing process is one of the most difficult scheduling problems, as finding a solution for a dynamic situation is impossible without using complex algorithms and high-end processors. Today, over 95 percent of enterprises in Australia are categorised as Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). These businesses face the same competitive world pressures as large companies but often do not have the resources available to remain competitive and grow. In particular, small businesses tend to focus on the skill bases they know – i.e. the physical processes of their niche business. There is an urgent and genuine need by these niche manufacturing companies to improve the information layer of their business in order to improve the shop floor agility, which provides another opportunity to deliver sustainable growth. Nevertheless, off the shelf programs are typically targeted at large manufacturers and are cost prohibitive for SMEs. Hence this project will be customised to the need of the industry sector (manufacturing based SMEs) in order to help them become a truly world competitive organisations. The aim of this project is to develop a Dynamic Task Scheduling (DTS) System for SMMEs. The DTS should be easily customisable to suite the different manufacturing based SMEs depending on their processes.
  4. Related references:
    • Nagalingam, S.V., Lin, G.C. I. and Wang, D., Resource Scheduling for a Virtual CIM System. In: Shen W, Wang L, ed. Process Planning and Scheduling for Distributed Manufacturing: Springer-Verlag; published May 2007, pp 269-292. ISBN 1-84628-751
    • Lin, H-W., Nagalingam, S.V. and Lin, G.C.I, Manufacturing Decision-Support using Interactive Meta-Goal Programming, Engineering Letters, (International Association of Engineers (IAENG) Journal) ,Volume 15 Issue 2, Pages 331-341, 2007
    • Wang, D., Nagalingam, S.V., and Lin, G.C.I., Development of an agent-based Virtual CIM architecture for small and medium manufacturers, Robotics and Computer Integrated Manufacturing, vol 23m issue 1, 2007, pp.1-16

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