Scheduling Optimization for Food Processing Industry

Project PI

Dr. Weihang Zhu, Associate Professor, Department of Industrial Engineering


Short Description

In this project funded by Lamar University Research Enhancement Grant, mixed integer linear programming models were developed to optimize the operations of an ice cream production facility with improved production efficiency.


Full Description

Food industry is closely related to human life. The efficient operation of food manufacturing facility is critical for companies to survive in a global competitive environment. In this project, a case study in ice cream industry is investigated to seek optimized schedules for production process. A mathematical model in mixed integer linear programming has been built for a medium scale production facility on multi-week scheduling. This scheduling optimization problem is also being extended to facilities of larger scale and higher complexity, and considering energy efficiency.


Funding

This project was funded by Lamar University Research Enhancement Grant


Publications

  • Ezra Wari, Weihang Zhu, Multi-week Production Scheduling for an Ice Cream Processing Facility, Computers and Chemical Engineering, doi: 10.1016/j.compchemeng.2016.07.025
  • Ezra Wari, Weihang Zhu, A Survey on metaheuristic applications in food processing optimization, Applied Soft Computing, doi: 10.1016/j.asoc.2016.04.034
  • Ezra Wari, Weihang Zhu, Energy-efficient Scheduling for an Ice Cream Processing Facility, Industrial and System Engineering Research Conference, May 21 – 24, 2016, Anaheim, CA, USA
  • Ezra Wari, Weihang Zhu, Xinyu Liu, Genetic Algorithms Applications in the Food Process Industry, Industrial and System Engineering Annual Research Conference and Expo 2015, May 30 - June 2, 2015, Nashville, TN, USA