Lot streaming with attached setups in three-machine flow shops

Lot streaming is the process of splitting a job or lot to allow overlapping between successive operations in a multistage production system. This use of transfer lots usually results in a significantly shorter makespan for th e schedule. We study the structural properties of schedules which minimize the makespan for a single job with attached setup times in a flow shop. The structure of the optimal schedules is more complex than in the case with n o setups or detached setups, as it may follow a much larger variety of patt erns. Using the structural insights obtained, however, it is possible to rn d the optimal solution with s sublots in O(s) time for the three-machine ca se.