An integer-coded differential evolution algorithm for simple assembly line balancing problem of type 2

Purpose This paper aims to develop a new differential evolution algorithm (DEA) for solving the simple assembly line balancing problem of type 2 (SALBP-2). Design/methodology/approach Novel approaches of mutation operator and crossover operator are presented. A self-adaptive double mutation scheme is implemented and an elitist strategy is used in the selection operator. Findings Test and comparison results show that the proposed IDEA obtains better results for SALBP-2. Originality/value The presented DEA is called the integer-coded differential evolution algorithm (IDEA), which can directly deal with integer variables of SALBP-2 on a discrete space without any posterior conversion. The proposed IDEA will be an alternative in evolutionary algorithms, especially for various integer/discrete-valued optimization problems.