Title
|
|
|
|
The time-window strategy in the online order batching problem
| |
Author
|
|
|
|
| |
Abstract
|
|
|
|
When an order arrives at a warehouse it is usually assigned to a batch and a decision is made on how long to wait before assigning the batch to a picker and starting the picking tour. If the idle time of the pickers is minimised, the batch is immediately assigned, and the picking starts. Alternatively, if a time window is introduced, other orders may arrive, and more efficient batches may be formed. The method to decide how long to wait (the time-window strategy) is therefore important but, surprisingly, almost completely overlooked in the literature. In this paper, we demonstrate that this lack of attention is unwarranted, and that the time-window method significantly influences the overall warehouse performance. In the context of the online order batching problem (OOBP), we first demonstrate that the effects of different time-window strategies are independent of the methods used to solve the other subproblems of the OOBP (batching and routing). Second, we propose two new time-window strategies, compare them to existing methods, and prove that our methods outperform those in the literature under various scenarios. Finally, we show how time-window methods influence different objective functions of the OOBP when varying numbers of orders and pickers. |
| |
Language
|
|
|
|
English
| |
Source (journal)
|
|
|
|
International journal of production research. - London
| |
Publication
|
|
|
|
Abingdon
:
Taylor & francis ltd
,
2024
| |
ISSN
|
|
|
|
0020-7543
| |
DOI
|
|
|
|
10.1080/00207543.2023.2263884
| |
Volume/pages
|
|
|
|
62
:12
(2024)
, p. 4446-4469
| |
ISI
|
|
|
|
001078289900001
| |
Full text (Publisher's DOI)
|
|
|
|
| |
Full text (open access)
|
|
|
|
| |
|