A hybrid discrete Cuckoo Search algorithm for cell formation problem with alternative process routings and operation sequence

As the foremost step for designing a cellular manufacturing system, cell formation is a hard optimization problem. It is necessary and significant to develop methods to find near-optimal solutions in a reasonable time. In this paper, the first hybrid discrete Cuckoo Search (HDCS) algorithm is designed to address the cell formation problem. Alternative process routings and operation sequence of parts are considered. The number of cells is not known as a priori. In HDCS, Lévy flights are redefined to perform the evolution of discrete solutions. Local search is employed to expand the search scope. Computational experiments on six cell formation problems available in the literature are also presented. The results reveal that HDCS outperforms the genetic algorithm-based and particle swarm optimization-based approaches. HDCS is more robust, effective and efficient.