Computational results for the flowshop tardiness problem

► The flowshop tardiness problem was solved using a spreadsheet-based optimization approach. ► Solution performance was better than results for the best branch and bound procedure. ► The implication is that generic tools may often be competitive with specialized tools in solving complex sequencing problems. This paper reports on computational experiments involving optimal solutions to the flowshop tardiness problem. Of primary interest was a generic approach: solutions were obtained using a spreadsheet-based, mixed-integer programming code. However, the results compare favorably with those from a specially-tailored branch and bound algorithm. The main implication is that hardware and software have developed to the point that generic tools may offer the best way to solve combinatorial problems in scheduling.