Publication
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)
The author-created version that incorporates referee comments and is the accepted for publication version Available from 03.10.2024
UAntwerpen
Faculty/Department
Research group
Publication type
Subject
Affiliation
Publications with a UAntwerp address
External links
Web of Science
Record
Identifier
Creation 30.10.2023
Last edited 28.05.2024
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