Optimizing the packing strategy for parcel delivery vans

The increasing popularity of e-commerce has led to a greater emphasis on improving parcel delivery processes. Among the various stages of the delivery process, packing parcels into delivery vans affects the delivery time. The efficiency of delivery is optimized when each parcel is conveniently accessible upon arrival, thereby minimizing the...

A sequential approach to truck and internal transport scheduling in a ground handler terminal: A case study

This study investigates the problem of prioritising trucks at the export area of the KLM Cargo ground handler terminal while maintaining a continuous operation in the unloading area. Due to the uncoordinated nature of truck arrivals and space limitations at the ground handler, substantial waiting times may arise when<br/>trucks arrive...

Construction schedule optimisation: Optimisation of BIM-based, component-level construction schedule for building structural and MEP systems considering parallel working zones

Construction schedule optimisation problems have been explored extensively, including activity sequencing rules and work packaging. Yet knowledge is still lacking in the sequencing of mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) components with geometric complexity, and how to handle conflicting precedence between MEP work packages arising from the...

Applying hierarchical tabu search to an adapted version of the flexible job shop problem

The scheduling departments of batch manufacturing plants have to repeatedly solve a complex scheduling problem for the operation of their production lines. This problem can be modeled as a flexible job shop problem (FJSP) in which a set of operations has to be assigned to a set of machines and then the order of operations on each machine has to...

Combining operational and environmental sustainability for an integrated flight scheduling and aircraft routing model of a full-cargo carrier

This study proposes a flight scheduling model with an added aircraft emission model to solve the schedule design, aircraft routing and cargo routing problems for a full-cargo airline, where aircraft emissions are explicitly part of the decision-making process. Our model considers both operational sustainability (maximisation of profit) and...

Route Optimisation For Mobility-On-Demand Systems With Ride-Sharing

Privately owned cars are an unsustainable mode of transportation, especially in cities. New Mobility on Demand (MoD) services should offer a convenient and sustainable alternative to privately owned cars. Notable in this field is the recent uprise of ride-sharing services such as offered by companies like Uber and Grab. Such services, especially...

Dig-limit Optimization: Mixed Integer Linear Programming for grade control in open-pit mining

In open-pit mining on a bench level, the dig-limit optimization problem is deciding whether to classify a Selective Mining Unit(SMU) as waste or whether to classify it as ore. SMU’s with high ore grades are profitable for the mining operation, but due to equipment size a whole frame of SMU’s has to be classified as either ore or waste. In this...

Adjusting train routing in case of planned infrastructure maintenance

In a busy railway network such as the Netherlands, more and more maintenance activities are needed to be performed. These planned activities often lead to an infeasible timetable since infrastructure is temporary unavailable for operations. A macroscopic network model can roughly adjust the timetable for a complete network, while a microscopic...