This paper develops a global optimum solution to the Economic Lot Sche
duling Problem (ELSP) using the restrictions of the basic period appro
ach as originally formulated by Bomberger. The ELSP is a classic probl
em in production which involves scheduling multiple products on a sing
le facility, with the restriction that no two products may be produced
at the same time. Ideally, a manufacturer could generate a schedule w
hich would minimize the sum of setup and holding costs, but the comple
xities involved have so far precluded the attainment of such an ideal.
This article presents a real time solution method for practical sized
problems using the basic period version of the ELSP. The authors beli
eve this is the first global optimal algorithm for the basic period EL
SP to be presented in the literature. It is anticipated that future re
search will extend the idea presented in this article to cover more ge
neral approaches to the ELSP. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.