To improve operational flexibility, throughput capacity, and responsiveness in order fulfillment operations, several distribution centers are implementing autonomous vehicle-based storage and retrieval (AVS/R) system in their high-density storage areas. In such systems, vehicles are self-powered...

For overlapping operations, the ALVs may need to process an unload transaction after processing a load transaction or vice versa. In such situations, the ALVs have to move from one QC location to another QC location or from one SC location to another SC location. In this section, we adopt the...

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...

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...

Robotized handling systems are increasingly applied in distribution centers. They require little space, provide flexibility in managing varying demand requirements, and are able to work 24/7. This makes them particularly fit for e-commerce operations. This paper reviews new categories of...

Container terminal performance is largely determined by its design decisions, which include the number and type of quay cranes (QCs), stack cranes (SCs), transport vehicles, vehicle travel path, and stack layout. The terminal design process is complex because it is affected by factors such as...