A tabu search algorithm for balancing a sequence-dependent disassembly line

In this paper, we consider a sequence-dependent disassembly line balancing problem (SDDLBP) with multiple objectives that requires the assignment of disassembly tasks to a set of ordered disassembly workstations while satisfying the disassembly precedence constraints and considering sequence-dependent part removal time increments. The four objectives to be achieved are as follows: (1) minimise the number of disassembly workstations, (2) minimise the total idle time by evenly distributing it among workstations, (3) maximise the priority of removing hazardous components as early as possible in the disassembly sequence and (4) maximise the priority of removing high demand components before low demand components. A new approach based on the tabu search (TS) algorithm is proposed to solve the SDDLBP. To the best of our knowledge, this paper investigates the first application of TS algorithm to solve the SDDLBP. Two case scenarios are considered and comparisons with ant colony optimisation and river formation dynamics approaches are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the algorithm.