A Comprehensive Study on Solar Parabolic Trough Collectors

Numerous studies have been conducted to design facility layouts since the early 1950s. The majority of these studies have primarily focused on product layout, functional layout, cellular layout, or their variants. The recent trend in manufacturing systems literature establishes the consensus that these conventional configurations do not meet the needs of today¿s multi-product enterprises work- ing in a dynamic environment. A promising approach to address changes in the production environment is to build facility layouts that can easily adapt to volatilities. Distributed layouts are among such facilities enabling industries to address volatilities and uncertainties. This book addresses two distinct problems in facility design and scheduling for manufacturing firms operating in a volatile environment and producing multiple batches of products. In regards to the facility layout problem, a new comprehensive mathematical model that integrates layout configuration and production planning in the design of dynamic distributed layouts is formulated.