An algorithm for batching, sequencing and picking operations in a warehouse

Abstract

Order Batching is an optimization problem related to the picking process of orders in a warehouse. It consists in grouping the orders (each order is composed by a list of items to be collected) received in a warehouse in a set of batches of a maximum fixed capacity. Then, a route to collect the items in the same batch must be conformed. In this paper we tackle a variant of this problem known as Order Batching and Sequencing Problem where each order has a certain due date. This variant consists in grouping the orders into batches and then sequencing them, in such a way that the tardiness of each order (the extra time over the due date needed to collect it) is minimized. In this paper we propose a Variable Neighborhood Search algorithm to tackle the problem. Our approach outperforms previous attempts in the state of the art.

Publication
2015 International Conference on Industrial Engineering and Systems Management (IESM)
Eduardo García Pardo
Eduardo García Pardo
Associate Professor

Miembro fundador del grupo de investigación GRAFO, cuya línea de investigación principal es el desarrollo de algoritmos para abordar problemas de optimización, temática sobre la que versa la Tesis Doctoral del investigador y en la que se enmarcan sus publicaciones más destacadas.

Abraham Duarte
Abraham Duarte
Full Professor

Abraham Duarte is Full Professor in the Computer Science Department at the Rey Juan Carlos University (Madrid, Spain). He has done extensive research in the interface between computer science, artificial intelligence, and operations research to develop solution methods based on Computational Intelligence (metaheuristics) for practical problems in operations-management areas such as logistics and supply chains, telecommunications, decision-making under uncertainty and optimization of simulated systems.