Simple heuristics for scheduling with limited intermediate storage

Limited storage capacities impose important restrictions in production planning and scheduling that can be used to control the work-in-process and must be taken into account when feasible schedules are to be generated. In this paper we consider a deterministic scheduling problem with limited intermediate storage. Contrary to other approaches known from the scheduling literature the intermediate storage is measured in material quantities that are associated with the jobs. Thus, a different consumption of space by the jobs inside the storage can be considered. Three heuristics are presented that are capable of taking into account limited intermediate storage. The procedures offer the opportunity to control the work-in-process formed by the jobs that wait for processing or are being processed in the production system.