OPTIMIZATION OF DISPATCHING SCHEDULE OF READY MIXED CONCRETE (RMC) PLANT FOR MULTI-PLANT AND MULTI-SITE OPERATION CONDITION: A LITERATURE REVIEW

The demand of concrete is increasing drastically due to infrastructure development in developing countries and to fulfil this ever-growing demand, RMC industry plays an important role. As per a report published by ICI in August 2015, if the efficiency at RMC plant can be improved by 10%, it will result into saving on Rs. 2400 Crore per year. To improve this efficiency, optimization of dispatching schedule of RMC truck can be done. The main aim of the research is to determine best suited algorithm to optimize dispatching schedule of RMC plant by using multi-plant and multi-site operation condition. The research also aims to determine various factors affecting dispatching schedule of RMC plant by using transit mixtures. To achieve the aim, various route optimization has been studied and compared. It is concluded that, mixing duration, number of transit mixtures, concrete demand of construction site, distance of construction site, casting duration at site, allowed buffer duration, number of plants and external factors are eight factors affecting dispatching schedule of transit mixtures. It is also concluded that genetic algorithm, a soft computing route optimization tool is best suited algorithm to optimize the dispatching schedule of RMC plant with multi-plant and multi-site operation condition.