A Hybrid Differential Evolution and Tree Search Algorithm for the Job Shop Scheduling Problem

The job shop scheduling problem (JSSP) is a notoriously difficult problem in combinatorial optimization. In terms of the objective function, most existing research has been focused on the makespan criterion. However, in contemporary manufacturing systems, due-date-related performances are more important because they are essential for maintaining a high service reputation. Therefore, in this study we aim at minimizing the total weighted tardiness in JSSP. Considering the high complexity, a hybrid differential evolution (DE) algorithm is proposed for the problem. To enhance the overall search efficiency, a neighborhood property of the problem is discovered, and then a tree search procedure is designed and embedded into the DE framework. According to the extensive computational experiments, the proposed approach is efficient in solving the job shop scheduling problem with total weighted tardiness objective.