Scheduling multiple orders with preemptive jobs and resource dependence times

Scheduling with preemptive jobs and resource dependence times is a problem that operation managers face everyday, and the computational complexity of the problem also limits the solution techniques available. A proposed scheduling model, which integrates simulation, genetic algorithms and decision support tools, is to solve the scheduling problem with preemptive jobs and resource dependence times involving multiple orders on multiple operation stages. The objective of this study is to seek the minimum total tardiness of overall orders, and three subordinate objectives are also considered for making decisions in operation management. A numerical example is solved to illustrate the proposed model. The results demonstrate better performance than is achieved using several popular dispatching rules.