An orthogonal genetic algorithm with total flowtime minimization for the no-wait flow shop problem

In this paper, an orthogonal genetic algorithm is proposed for the no-wait flowshop problem with total flowtime minimization. Two classic heuristics, nearest neighbor and NEH are adopted to generate a initial population with good performance. An orthogonal crossover operator is constructed. Based on the strategy of destruction and construction, an effective local search is designed to further improve the population of new generation. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithm outperforms another efficient method for the considered problem.