Modeling and optimization for a generic multi-level production scheduling

To solve generic multi-level production scheduling problem exisiting in most aerospace enterprises, an integrated optimization model was put forward. According to characteristics of multi-level production scheduling, a modeling strategy of decomposition-coordination and its solution were proposed. After constructing independent optimization models for each level's sub-problem, the ready times for upper-levels jobs and the machine release time for upper-levels' production were coordinated from lower-level to upper-level in turn, which achieved optimal solutions to each level and thus produced the final satisfactory solution to the overall problem. A numerical case study, which was coming from a real tri-level satellite production scheduling, was employed to verify and validate the modeling and optimization strategy. Result revealed that the method outperformed the conventional algorithms on both effectiveness and practicability.