This paper describes the use of genetic algorithms (GA) in the field of layout. The plant layout problem (PLP) is a complex combinatorial optimization problem. The main objective of the PLP is to allocate the physical facilities of an entity into groups of departments within the smallest possible area. Since this type of problem is a classic NP-hard problem, the combinatorial optimization algorithm has been widely used to obtain a satisfactory solution. The subject therefore attracts the attention of researchers and industry. This paper has been applied to real case study data (Southern Cement Company in Iraq). A computer program coded in Visual Basic.NET has been developed to implement the developed GA algorithm. The layout obtained for the real case study plant, in this paper, gave an improvement by 0.019 points relative to the current layout that can be applied. The results also indicated the robustness and accuracy of the proposed GA algorithm. In addition, the proposed GA can be a good option in practical applications.
Mustafa M. Mansour (Wed,) studied this question.