As problem complexity continues to increase in industry, developing efficient solution methods for solving hard problems, such as heterogeneous vehicle routing and integrated cell formation problems, is imperative. The focus of this chapter is to develop from the classical simulated evolution algorithm, a Fuzzy Simulated Evolution Algorithm (FSEA) that incorporates the concepts of fuzzy set theory, evolution, and constructive perturbation. The aim is to improve the search efficiency of the algorithm by enhancing the major phases of the algorithm through initialization, evaluation, selection, and reconstruction. Illustrative examples are provided to demonstrate the candidate application areas and to show the strength of the algorithm. Computational experiments are conducted based on benchmark problems in the literature. Results from the computational experiments demonstrate the strength of the algorithm. It is anticipated that the application of the FSEA metaheuristic can be extended to other hard large scale problems.
A fuzzy simulated evolution algorithm for integrated manufacturing system design
