Pipeless batch plants comprise a number of processing stations of varying functionality (e.g., filling, mixing, reacting and emptying stations). A number of mobile vessels are used to hold material while it is being processed at stations, or being transferred from one station to another. The vessels may have their own built-in motion mechanism, or may be transported by a shared fleet of automated guided vehicles (AGVs). Examples of processes operated in this fashion include lubricants, adhesives, pharmaceuticals and paints manufacturing. In many applications pipeless plants have advantages over more conventional ones because of their increased flexibility with respect to material transfers, and the reduced downtime of processing units caused by product changeovers. However, the full realization of these potential benefits during operation necessitates solving a complex scheduling problem. The solution details the utilization of the processing stations, the transferable vessels, and, where appropriate, the AGVs over the time horizon of interest. This paper presents a systematic and rigorous approach to the optimal detailed shortterm scheduling of pipeless plants. The mathematical formulation of the problem as a mixed-integer linear programme allows recipes of arbitrary complexity to be accommodated while exploiting fully the flexibility of the available plant equipment.