How to Download and Use ALDEP for Optimal Facility Layout
If you are looking for a software tool that can help you design and evaluate facility layouts, you might want to check out ALDEP. ALDEP stands for Automated Layout Design Program, and it is a heuristic algorithm that can generate and compare different layout alternatives based on your input data.

In this article, we will explain what ALDEP is, how it works, and how you can download and use it for your own layout problems.

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What is ALDEP?
ALDEP is a computer program that was developed in the 1960s by Armour and Buffa [1] to assist plant designers in creating optimal layouts for organizational units (functions) within a given space. ALDEP uses a relationship chart or a from-to chart to represent the closeness preferences or the material flow between the departments. It also uses the area requirements, the building dimensions, and the sweep width (the number of columns to be filled simultaneously) as input data.

ALDEP works by randomly selecting one department and placing it in the upper left corner of the layout. Then, it selects another department that has the highest closeness rating or flow value with the first department, and places it adjacent to it. This process is repeated until all departments are placed in the layout. ALDEP can generate multiple layouts by changing the order of entry of departments or the starting position of the first department. It can also evaluate the layouts by computing a score based on the closeness ratings or flow values and the distance between the departments.

How to Download ALDEP?
ALDEP is not a commercial software, but rather an academic tool that has been implemented by various researchers and instructors over the years. One of the most accessible implementations of ALDEP is available from MHI [2], which is a non-profit trade association that represents the material handling industry. MHI offers a free download of ALDEP as an Excel spreadsheet that can be used for educational purposes.

To download ALDEP from MHI, you need to visit their website [2] and register as a user. Then, you can access their online library of lectures and case studies on facility layout and design. Among them, you will find a lecture on ALDEP that includes a link to download the spreadsheet. You can also find a user manual that explains how to use the spreadsheet and input your data.

How to Use ALDEP?
To use ALDEP, you need to open the spreadsheet and follow these steps:

Select whether you want to run an existing problem or a new problem.
If you choose a new problem, input the number of departments, the building length, the building width, the sweep width, the number of layouts, and whether you want to use a relationship chart or a from-to chart.
Input the area for each department.
If you choose a relationship chart, input the weights of the relationships (A for absolutely necessary, E for especially important, I for important, O for ordinary, U for unimportant, X for undesirable) and assign them numerical values (for example, A = 64, E = 16, I = 4, O = 1, U = 0, X = -1024). If you choose a from-to chart, input the weights and the cut-offs (the flow values that correspond to each relationship).
Input the relationship or flow values between each pair of departments.
Click on the RUN button to generate and evaluate the layouts.
View the output worksheet that shows the layouts, their scores, and their order of entry.

You can also modify your input data or change your preferences and run ALDEP again to obtain different results.

Conclusion
ALDEP is a useful tool that can help you design and evaluate facility layouts based on your criteria. It can generate multiple layout alternatives and compare them based on their scores. You can download ALDEP as an Excel spreadsheet from MHI [2] and use it for your own layout problems. However, keep in mind that ALDEP is not a perfect solution, but rather a heuristic approach that relies on randomness and trial-and-error. Therefore

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