TY - EJOU AU - Zeng, Liang AU - Ding, Ziyang AU - Shi, Junyang AU - Wang, Shanshan TI - A Discrete Multi-Objective Squirrel Search Algorithm for Energy-Efficient Distributed Heterogeneous Permutation Flowshop with Variable Processing Speed T2 - Computers, Materials \& Continua PY - 2024 VL - 81 IS - 1 SN - 1546-2226 AB - In the manufacturing industry, reasonable scheduling can greatly improve production efficiency, while excessive resource consumption highlights the growing significance of energy conservation in production. This paper studies the problem of energy-efficient distributed heterogeneous permutation flowshop problem with variable processing speed (DHPFSP-VPS), considering both the minimum makespan and total energy consumption (TEC) as objectives. A discrete multi-objective squirrel search algorithm (DMSSA) is proposed to solve the DHPFSP-VPS. DMSSA makes four improvements based on the squirrel search algorithm. Firstly, in terms of the population initialization strategy, four hybrid initialization methods targeting different objectives are proposed to enhance the quality of initial solutions. Secondly, enhancements are made to the population hierarchy system and position updating methods of the squirrel search algorithm, making it more suitable for discrete scheduling problems. Additionally, regarding the search strategy, six local searches are designed based on problem characteristics to enhance search capability. Moreover, a dynamic predator strategy based on Q-learning is devised to effectively balance DMSSA’s capability for global exploration and local exploitation. Finally, two speed control energy-efficient strategies are designed to reduce TEC. Extensive comparative experiments are conducted in this paper to validate the effectiveness of the proposed strategies. The results of comparing DMSSA with other algorithms demonstrate its superior performance and its potential for efficient solving of the DHPFSP-VPS problem. KW - Distributed heterogeneous permutation flowshop problem; squirrel search algorithm; muli-objective optimization; energy-efficient; variable processing speed DO - 10.32604/cmc.2024.055574