Clustering and Dispatching Rule Selection Framework for Batch Scheduling

In this study, a batch scheduling with job grouping and batch sequencing is considered. A clustering algorithm and dispatching rule selection model is developed to minimize total tardiness. The model and algorithm are based on the constrained k-means algorithm and neural network. We also develop a method to generate a training dataset from historical data to train the neural network. We use numerical examples to demonstrate that the proposed algorithm and model efficiently and effectively solve batch scheduling problems.