Production Scheduling for Dispatching Ready Mixed Concrete Trucks Using Bee Colony Optimization

Problem statement: This study proposed a systematic model of delivering Ready Mixed Concrete (RMC) that optimizes the schedule of dispatching RMC trucks. Approach: Firstly, the factors that impact the RMC delivery process are analyzed. Secondly, a model based on Bee Colony Optimization (BCO) was developed in order to find the best dispatching schedule that minimize the total waiting time of RMC trucks at construction sites. Results: To demonstrate its efficiency, the BCO algorithm was applied to solve two dispatching RMC problems. The results obtained from the BCO are compared to those achieved from the conventional approaches i.e., Genetic Algorithm (GA) and Tabu Search (TS) algorithm. Conclusion/Recommendations: The experimental results showed that the BCO approach can quickly generate efficient and flexible solutions to dispatch RMC trucks. Furthermore, the obtained results had higher quality solution efficiently and faster computational time than those obtained from the conventional approaches.