<p>Batch processes are crucial in industrial production, where no-wait constraints widely exist. This study tackles the distributed no-wait batch plant scheduling problem with sequence-dependent setup times for makespan minimization. We develop a mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) model and propose a discrete whale optimization algorithm (DWOA). First, we design a range-setup matrix for objective calculation and a speedup method for insert moves to reduce computation time. Second, we develop five NEH-based heuristics to improve the quality and diversity of initial population. Next, during encircling prey stage, two neighborhood structures refine the population. During the bubble-net attacking stage, an adaptive selection method embedding five neighborhood strategies enhances exploitation. A perturbation strategy in the prey searching stage prevents premature local optima. Finally, comparative experiments with state-of-the-art algorithms demonstrate the superiority of DWOA for the distributed no-wait multi-product batch scheduling problem. Additionally, we use Cplex to solve the MILP model, confirming optimal solutions for 30 small-scale instances.</p>