An efficient dynamic dispatching rule for scheduling in a job shop

In this paper we present a new dispatching rule which is dynamic and global in its structure. The rule adapts itself to the variation in the shop floor utilization level and assigns appropriate weights to the process time and due date information accordingly. Another important feature of the proposed rule is that the weights to the two components, viz. the process time and the due date components, differ from machine to machine. The results of a simulation study are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the rule with respect to the rules most commonly used in industry and the proven rules reported in the literature. The proposed rule is found to perform quite well with respect to mean flow time, mean tardiness and variation in tardiness.