A Branch and Bound Algorithm to Minimize Makespan on Identical Parallel Machines with Consumable Resources

Abstract

In this paper, we study a scheduling problem for minimizing the makespan on identical parallel machines with consumable resources in a node of a supply chain. The goal is to provide a first exact approach to this problem through the use of Branch and Bound method. We propose two new heuristics and apply other with a series of lower bounds that are incorporated into our algorithm. We tested a large number of randomly generated instances that allow us to compare the computation time and quality of lower bounds and heuristics.