Batch production scheduling is the practice of planning and scheduling of batch manufacturing processes. See Batch production. Although scheduling may apply to traditionally continuous processes such as refining,[1][2] it is especially important for batch processes such as those for pharmaceutical active ingredients, biotechnology processes and many specialty chemical processes.[3][4] Batch production scheduling shares some concepts and techniques with finite capacity scheduling which has been applied to many manufacturing problems.[5] The specific issues of scheduling batch manufacturing processes have generated considerable industrial and academic interest.