2021/12/07 by Supratim Ghosh, Ghosh, Supratim, Aritra Pal +11
Engineering · #Advanced Manufacturing and Logistics Optimization #Scheduling and Optimization Algorithms #Assembly Line Balancing Optimization
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2112.04567
Parcel sorting operations in logistics enterprises aim to achieve a high\nthroughput of parcels through sorting centers. These sorting centers are\ncomposed of large circular conveyor belts on which incoming parcels are placed,\nwith multiple arms known as chutes for sorting the parcels by destination,\nfollowed by packing into roller cages and loading onto outbound trucks. Modern\nsorting systems need to complement their hardware innovations with\nsophisticated algorithms and software to map destinations and workforce to\nspecific chutes. While state of the art systems operate with fixed mappings, we\npropose an optimization approach that runs before every shift, and uses\nreal-time forecast of destination demand and labor availability in order to\nmaximize throughput. We use simulation to improve the performance and\nrobustness of the optimization solution to stochasticity in the environment,\nthrough closed-loop tuning of the optimization parameters.\n