Addressing robustness and multiple objectives in stochastic flow shop environments

Abstract

Logistics and supply chain concepts have evolved over the years, initially involving only transport activities and then expanding to include product, information and financial flows until finally reverse flows, integrated chains, and networks were incorporated. Although there is diversity in definitions, there is a common understanding that logistics involves three principal stages called supply, production, and distribution (Pinedo, 2012). Supply stage is often composed by two or more tier suppliers, a manufacturer that is the focal business and two or more tier customers. Inside focal business exists three types of decisional levels, the strategic, tactical and operative ones. Figure 1 presents the complete supply chain, focusing in Manufacturer supply chain. This focus shows the different processes and activities carried out at each decision level. As it can be seen, production scheduling receives information from Material Requirements Plan, the Production Master schedule and gives information to the Distribution Resource Planning and routing of transportation.