Resource leveling scheduling system: A two‐phase CLP relaxation method

We have developed a production scheduling system called “K-CHIP,” which handles operator resource leveling, using CLP (constraint logic programming). This system has the following features: (1) it approaches constraint satisfaction problems (CSP) as two-phase problems, consisting of production line scheduling and operator assignment scheduling, (2) it uses an interactive method for relaxing constraints on operator skills and on the number of operators as the intra-CSP adjustment method, and (3) it guarantees skill constraint satisfaction by creating a future training schedule. A simulation carried out based on this system produced the prospect of a 33% reduction in manpower. The simulation also demonstrated that the method can be effectively utilized to expand the system integration functions, centered on skills that are the main concern in plant management. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electron Comm Jpn Pt 2, 86(6): 62–72, 2003; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/ecjb.10156