1410. A Branch-and-Cut algorithm for the Single Picker Routing Problem with Scattered Storage
Invited abstract in session MD-58: Branch-and-Cut, stream Vehicle Routing and Logistics.
Monday, 14:30-16:00Room: Liberty 1.13
Authors (first author is the speaker)
| 1. | Constantin Wildt
|
| Technical University of Darmstadt | |
| 2. | Felix Weidinger
|
| Technical University of Darmstadt |
Abstract
E-commerce warehouses enhance order fulfillment efficiency by employing scattered or mixed-shelves storage. By strategically allocating items of the same product to different shelves, the travel distance for picking unpredictable customer orders is minimized. The complexity of the picker routing problem increases due to scattered storage, as it requires an additional selection task regarding which product is picked from which storage position. Although there has been an increasing interest in this field of research in recent years, most solution approaches are facing critical limitations. These include assumptions such as unit demand (where the picker visits only one storage position per product) or constraints to specific warehouse layouts. In this talk, a novel approach is proposed, wherein the Single Picker Routing Problem with Scattered Storage (SPRP-SS) is solved optimally by using a Branch-and-Cut algorithm. Unlike previous methods, this approach allows for arbitrary warehouse layouts, multiple depots, and covers the varying demand case. To this end, valid inequalities and corresponding separation algorithms are developed either by adapting existing procedures from related routing problems or by creating new procedures tailor-made for the SPRP-SS. The algorithm’s performance is evaluated, testing its effectiveness on both rectangular problem instances as well as on newly designed instances featuring a non-rectangular warehouse setting with multiple depots.
Keywords
- Warehouse Design, Planning, and Control
- Branch and Cut
- Logistics
Status: accepted
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