Title
|
|
|
|
Using a TSP heuristic for routing order pickers in warehouses
| |
Author
|
|
|
|
| |
Abstract
|
|
|
|
In this paper, we deal with the sequencing and routing problem of order pickers in conventional multi-parallel-aisle warehouse systems. For this NP-hard Steiner travelling salesman problem (TSP), exact algorithms only exist for warehouses with at most three cross aisles, while for other warehouse types literature provides a selection of dedicated construction heuristics. We evaluate to what extent reformulating and solving the problem as a classical TSP leads to performance improvements compared to existing dedicated heuristics. We report average savings in route distance of up to 47% when using the LKH (LinKernighanHelsgaun) TSP heuristic. Additionally, we examine if combining problem-specific solution concepts from dedicated heuristics with high-quality local search features could be useful. Lastly, we verify whether the sophistication of state-of-the-art local search heuristics is necessary for routing order pickers in warehouses, or whether a subset of features suffices to generate high-quality solutions. |
| |
Language
|
|
|
|
English
| |
Source (journal)
|
|
|
|
European journal of operational research. - Amsterdam
| |
Publication
|
|
|
|
Amsterdam
:
2010
| |
ISSN
|
|
|
|
0377-2217
| |
Volume/pages
|
|
|
|
200
:3
(2010)
, p. 755-763
| |
ISI
|
|
|
|
000270701200013
| |
Full text (Publisher's DOI)
|
|
|
|
| |
|