Minimizing personnel assignment costs in the layout phase of steel component construction

Purpose To enhance the efficiency of personnel assignment in layout operations, this study employs 0–1 integer programming optimization theory, integrated with practical layout operations in steel structure construction, to assign manpower under known constraints to find the optimal personnel assignment and minimal cost and to provide management decision-makers with an effective way to control operational costs. Design/methodology/approach The research considers constraints such as personnel availability and part types, constructing a mathematical model with one objective function and 11 constraints. By applying this model to a real-world project for constructing a technology factory and using LINGO 18.0 software, the study demonstrates that optimizing personnel assignment can reduce total costs by 12.82% and manual assignment time by 99%. Findings The findings also elucidate the following: (1) Sensitivity analysis indicates that decreasing the number of working days slightly increases total operational costs, whereas extending the duration to 30–40 days results in cost reductions. Furthermore, reducing high-efficiency and high-salary personnel has a minor impact on overall costs, while cutting low-efficiency and low-salary personnel leads to a substantial cost increase of approximately 50–52%. (2) Efficient and rapid personnel assignment contributes to achieving minimal operational costs, with a cost reduction of 12.82%, while also facilitating the attainment of project goals in the most effective manner. Originality/value The study developed a mathematical model featuring a single objective function and 11 practical constraints, providing practitioners with the flexibility to adapt it as needed to address empirical engineering challenges related to personnel layout assignments.