Abstract
This article describes a heuristic algorithm that generates weekly production schedules for packaging a number of products on parallel unrelated lines. Various constraints are imposed, including restrictions on the total number of lines that can run simultaneously, product families that can be processed concurrently, total run hours per shift, and available material. Special consideration is given to weekly startup learning coefficients, changeover learning coefficients, changeover times, shutdown hours, and a host of other factors. The objective is to maximize weekly output or to minimize the time to produce weekly demand, whichever is applicable.