In this paper, we study the problem of scheduling and dispatching vehicles in vehicle-based internal transport systems within warehouses and production facilities. We develop and use two rolling horizon policies to solve real-time vehicle scheduling problems. To solve static instances of...

Customer order response time and system throughput capacity are key performance measures in warehouses, which depend strongly on the storage strategies deployed. One popular strategy is to split inventory into a bulk storage and a pick stock, or forward-reserve (FR) storage. Managers often use a...

The order batching problem (OBP) is the problem of determining the number of orders to be picked together in one picking tour. Although various objectives may arise in practice, minimizing the average throughput time of a random order is a common concern. In this paper, we consider the OBP for a...

Internal transport systems using automated guided vehicles (AGVs) are widely used in many facilities such as warehouses, distribution centers and transshipment terminals. Most AGV systems use online dispatching rules to control vehicle movements. In literature, there are many types of...

Improving on existing products is an effective product differentiation strategy for firms. We refer to such improved products as next-generation products (NGPs). Research shows that 40% of product transitions fail and that some lead to bankruptcies. Bad timing is often mentioned as one of the...

In this article we focus on product return handling and warehousingissues. In some businesses return rates can be well over 20% andreturns can be especially costly when not handled properly. In spiteof this, many managers have handled returns extemporarily. The factthat quantitative methods...

In this paper, we discuss an approximation method based on G/G/m queuing network modeling using Whitt's (1983) queuing network analyzer to analyze pick-and-pass order picking systems. The objective of this approximation method is to provide an instrument for obtaining rapid performance estimates...

Warehouse operations are rapidly becoming more robotized to increase performance and cut costs. One important new way of working is in collaboration between humans and robots. However, even though humans and their behavior remain essential for operational performance, human factors in...

Already for a long time retailers take back products. In this paper we explore the factors contributing to the decision of combining vs. separating inbound and outbound flows during the return handling process. We do so through a comparative analysis of the operations in nine retailer...