ALDEP: An Automated Heuristic Algorithm for Facility Layout Problems
Aldep Automated Layout Design Program: What Is It and How to Download It?
If you are looking for a tool that can help you design an optimal layout for your facility, you might want to check out ALDEP. ALDEP stands for Automated Layout Design Program, and it is a heuristic algorithm that can generate and compare different layout alternatives based on your input data. In this article, we will explain what ALDEP is, how it works, and how you can download and use it for your own layout problems.
Aldep Automated Layout Design Program Download
How Does ALDEP Work?
ALDEP is a computerized technique that can construct and evaluate various layouts for a given facility. It uses basic data on facility size, department area, closeness rating, sweep width, etc. to place departments in a layout that minimizes material handling cost or other criteria. The algorithm follows a series of steps that are described below.
Step 1: Input the data
The first step of ALDEP is to input the data required for the algorithm. The data include:
The length and width of the facility.
The area of each department.
The minimum closeness preference (MCP) value. This is a threshold value that determines which departments should be placed close to each other based on their closeness rating.
The sweep width. This is a parameter that determines how many columns or rows are filled at a time in the layout.
The relationship chart showing the closeness rating. This is a matrix that shows how important or desirable it is to place each pair of departments close to each other. The closeness rating can be expressed using letters (A for absolutely necessary, E for especially important, I for important, O for ordinary, U for unimportant, X for undesirable) or numbers (64 for A, 16 for E, 4 for I, 1 for O, 0 for U, -1024 for X).
The location and size of any restricted area. This is an optional data that specifies any area in the facility that cannot be used for placing departments.
Step 2: Select and place the first department dcd2dc6462