EURO 2024 Copenhagen
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584. A new modeling approach for the unrestricted block relocation problem

Invited abstract in session MB-62: Container Stacking and Yard Planning I, stream OR in Port Operations.

Monday, 10:30-12:00
Room: S12 (building: 101)

Authors (first author is the speaker)

1. Fabian Wilschewski
Mercator School of Management, University of Duisburg-Essen
2. Alf Kimms
Mercator School of Management, University of Duisburg-Essen, Campus Duisburg

Abstract

We consider the block relocation problem (BRP), a combinatorial optimization problem that may arise in storage systems where items are organized in stacks. The objective is to retrieve all items in a predefined order with a minimal number of relocations. It can be distinguished between a restricted and an unrestricted version of the BRP. While in the restricted BRP (R-BRP) only relocations of items located above the item to be retrieved next are permitted, in the unrestricted BRP (U-BRP) all possible relocations are allowed. Existing exact methods concerning the BRP are frequently search-based methods which appear to be very effective. Nevertheless, recent literature concerning the R-BRP has shown that model-based methods can be competitive and therefore should also be taken into consideration. In this paper, we propose a new model-based approach for the U-BRP. It eliminates the fact that the number of variables is increasing with the number of necessary relocations; a disadvantage most mathematical models for the U-BRP have in common.

Keywords

Status: accepted

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