2022/09/27 by Pirmin Fontaine, Stefan Minner · 26 citations
Engineering · Mathematics · #Advanced Manufacturing and Logistics Optimization #Algorithm #Artificial intelligence #Bin #Bin packing problem #Computer science #Economics #Mathematical optimization #Mathematics #Modern portfolio theory #Operations research #Optimization and Packing Problems #Portfolio #Selection (genetic algorithm) #Space (punctuation) #Variety (cybernetics) #Vehicle Routing Optimization Methods
paper · doi:10.1287/opre.2022.2369
published in Operations Research 71(1), 273-288 (Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences)
openalex publication_date 2022/09/27 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Selecting a Parcel Type Portfolio to Reduce Unused Space in Transportation Wrongly sized parcels lead to unused space and inefficient transportation. With continuously increasing e-commerce and last-mile delivery volumes, available parcel types at a warehouse can significantly impact unused space that is transported. In “A Branch-and-Repair Method for Three-Dimensional Bin Selection and Packing in E-Commerce,” Fontaine and Minner solve the trade-off between cost of unused space and cost of parcel variety through optimizing the portfolio of available parcel types. To solve large instances with millions of binary decision variables, the authors develop an exact decomposition method that allows for relaxing many binary variables, improves branch-and-check by repairing infeasible solutions, and shows how to avoid solving many subproblems. A case study using real data shows the efficiency of the proposed method and the impact of the portfolio on unused transportation space.