Destination-Loader-Door Assignment Problem for Automated Package Sorting Centers

Program:
The focus of this research project is the periodic planning of the layout and processing requirements for the automated sorting facilities of package carriers, with the context specifics and associated datasets obtained from the ground network of a well-known international carrier. For a given set of loading bays, the first objective is to assign destinations to consecutive doors so that the number of changes of destination-to-door assignments from one sort to the next is minimized. The second and third objectives are to minimize the number of loaders who work the doors and to evenly distribute the volume of packages assigned to each loader. A variety of constraints vastly complicates these assignments and leads to a mixed-integer programming (MIP) model, which is significantly strengthened with structurally derived cuts. A novel feature of the formulation is the use of pattern variables to represent the door assignments. Taking a multiobjective programming approach, solutions are obtained by solving a series of MIPs, each addressing one of the three objectives. The effectiveness of our approach is demonstrated using data provided by the sponsoring carrier for 24 workcenters in four facilities. An additional contribution is a complexity analysis of the destination-to-door and the loader-to-door assignment subproblems. Both are shown to be strongly NP-hard. The talk concludes with discussion of possible related future research.

Speaker:
Dr. Ahmad Jarrah is an Associate Professor of Decision Sciences at the George Washington University. Before starting his career in higher education, Dr. Jarrah spent fourteen years in the consulting industry designing, developing and managing the deployment of large-scale advanced decision support systems for air and ground logistics and transportation. Dr. Jarrah's areas of expertise include large-scale optimization, logistics and transportation analytics, airline networks, and freight networks. His publications have appeared in Computers and Operations Research, European Journal of Operational Research, IIE Transactions, Interfaces, Journal of the Operational Research Society, Omega, Management Science, Operations Research, Transportation Science and Transportation Research B. He holds a Ph.D. in Management Science from the University of Texas at Austin.

Light refreshments and networking from 6:00 – 6:45 pm. Program starts at 6:45 and will end no later than 8:30. RSVPs not strictly necessary but appreciated.

LOCATION
Booz Allen Hamilton
Suite 100, 1530 Wilson Blvd, Arlington, VA, 22209

METRO

Orange Line to Rosslyn Station, walk up Wilson Blvd towards Court House and the office is across from the Safeway. CONTACTS
RSVP by e-mail to Layne Morrison, elaynemorrison@us.ibm.com , in order to have a rough count of attendees prior to the meeting. Come anyway even if you do not RSVP. For building information, please contact Nick Nahas at 978-337-6273. For program information, please contact Layne Morrison at 202-365-3329.