Simulation optimization for process scheduling through simulated annealing

This paper presents a simulation optimization of a real scheduling problem in industry, simulated annealing is introduced for this purpose.  Investigation is performed into the practicality of using simulated annealing to produce high quality schedules.  Results on the solution quality and computational effort show the inherent properties of the simulated annealing.  It is shown that when using this method, high quality schedules can be produced within reasonable time contraints.