The Benchmark Facility Layout Optimization Software

30+ years of published research. Guaranteed lowest-cost layouts. Trusted by 100+ universities and used by industrial engineers worldwide.
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100+

Universities Worldwide

30+

Years of Research

Never

Beaten on Benchmarks

Used by Industrial Engineers and Facility Planners

Distinct Features

VIP‑PLANOPT is a powerful and efficient tool designed for industrial facility layout optimization. Engineered to handle complex layouts with up to 1,000 departments, it delivers solutions faster than any other optimization algorithm while ensuring the lowest-cost layouts for maximum efficiency.

Pick-up and Drop-off Points

The user can specify pick-up and drop-off points anywhere inside or outside the boundary of a department with a click of the mouse pointer.

Minimum User Interaction

No initial design or user-specified tuning parameters are required. Produces optimized layouts without any user interaction.

Compare Alternative Layouts

Graphical display of the optimized layout allows the user to relocate any departments and compare the cost of alternative layouts.

Module Padding

The user can specify padding of empty space around the modules. Optimized layouts will have modules separated by the specified padding.

Negative Flow

The user can specify negative flow between any pair of departments. This keeps the two departments as far apart as possible in the optimized layout.

Composite Boundary

The user can specify a rectangular or composite boundary. If feasible, VIP‑PLANOPT will produce an optimized layout within the specified boundary.

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VIP‑PLANOPT Algorithm

VIP‑PLANOPT is based on a proprietary hybrid heuristic-cum-analytical technique which has evolved through years of research work. It can generate high quality solutions for large scale problems with minimal computational cost. This is due to VIP‑PLANOPT’s underlying search philosophy of identifying, for each block, the feasible design space with the highest probability of the optima.

A pseudo-exhaustive search is then carried out for the optimum solution at each stage of a multi-stage optimization process. VIP‑PLANOPT improves its optimization algorithm with double precision arithmetic which makes the software more stable and almost crash‑proof.

How the VIP-PLANOPT algorithm works: at each stage of a multi-stage optimization process it focuses, for each block, on the feasible design space most likely to hold the optimum, then runs a pseudo-exhaustive search for the optimum at that stage. Result: high-quality layouts for large-scale problems with minimal computational cost.

VIP‑PLANOPT in various Scholarly Articles and Research Papers

Adjacency-Based Facility Layout Optimization for Shipyards: A Case Study

Tamer, Salim, et al. “Adjacency-Based Facility Layout Optimization for Shipyards: A Case Study.” Journal of Ship Production and Design 39.01 (2023): 25-31.

Osnivanje mješovitog brodogradilišta visoke tehnološke razine

Safić, Edvin. Osnivanje mješovitog brodogradilišta visoke tehnološke razine. Diss. University of Rijeka. Faculty of Engineering. Department of Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering. Section of Technology and Organisation of Ship Building, 2023.

Cascading flowlines and layout modules: Practical strategies for machine duplication in facility layouts

Irani, Shahrukh A., and Heng Huang. “Cascading flowlines and layout modules: Practical strategies for machine duplication in facility layouts.” International Journal of Flexible Manufacturing Systems 17 (2005): 119-149.

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Referenced By

Cover of Facilities Planning, 4th Edition, by Tompkins, White, Bozer and Tanchoco

Facilities Planning 4th Edition
by James A. Tompkins, John A. White, Yavuz A. Bozer, J. M. A. Tanchoco

Cover of Facilities Design, 5th Edition, by Sunderesh S. Heragu

Facilities Design 5th Edition
by Sunderesh S. Heragu

Also referenced in

  • Seifbarghy, Mehdi, Abolfazl Gharaei, Samira Ahmadian, Niloufar Shakeri, and Sara Rohani. Location and Layout Design in Plant Using VIP‑PLANOPT Software. Sharif University, 2014. ISBN 978-964-6445-30-7. (ResearchGate)
  • Chen, Gary Yu-Hsin. Multi-objective evaluation of dynamic facility layout using ant colony optimization. The University of Texas at Arlington, 2007.
  • Malakooti, Behnam. Operations and Production Systems with Multiple Objectives. Wiley, 2014.
  • The Routledge Companion to Production and Operations Management. Taylor & Francis, 2017.
  • Irani, Shahrukh A. Job Shop Lean: An Industrial Engineering Approach to Implementing Lean in High-Mix Low-Volume Production Systems. Taylor & Francis, 2020.

Full Refund Guarantee

A full refund is guaranteed if any other software can produce better (lower-cost) layouts for any known set of benchmark problems.