A unique controlled field experiment investigates order picking performance (in terms of productivity and quality). We examined three manual picker-to-parts order picking methods (parallel, zone, and dynamic zone picking) under two different incentive systems (competition- based versus...

Design of container terminal operations is complex because multiple factors affect the operational performance. These factors include: topological constraints, a large number of design parameters and settings, and stochastic interactions that interplay among the quayside, vehicle transport, and...

Many intra-logistics systems, such as automated container terminals, distribution warehouses, and crossdocks observe parallel process flows, which involve simultaneous (parallel) operations of multiple independent resources while processing a job. Due to the unknown service time of the job,...

In the warehouse of Ankor, a wholesaler of tools and garden equipment, various problems concerning the storage and retrieval of products arise. For example, heavy products have to be retrieved prior to light products to prevent damage. Furthermore, the layout of the warehouse differs from the...

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...

In the future, vehicle sharing systems will be unmanned, autonomous, and electric. In this paper, we design operating policies for sharing platforms with such vehicles. These platforms must decide which vehicle with which battery level should pick up which type of customer and which vehicle...

Platforms sharing autonomous electric vehicles have to decide which vehicle should pick up which type of customer and when vehicles should be recharged, based on remaining battery level and proximity to the charging station. We model and analyze this problem. To guarantee maximum service and...

In this study we consider a pick-to-pack orderpicking system, in which batches of orders are picked simultaneously from different(work) zones by a group of order pickers. After picking, theorders are transported by a conveyor to the next station for packing. Our aim is to determine the optimal...

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...

On-line vehicles dispatching rules are widely used in many facilities such as warehouses to control vehicles' movements. Single-attribute dispatching rules, which dispatch vehicles based on only one parameter, are used commonly. However, multi-attribute dispatching rules prove to be better in...