The multiple container loading cost minimization problem

Research output: Journal Publications and Reviews (RGC: 21, 22, 62)21_Publication in refereed journalpeer-review

39 Scopus Citations
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Author(s)

  • Chan Hou Che
  • Weili Huang
  • Andrew Lim
  • Wenbin Zhu

Related Research Unit(s)

Detail(s)

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)501-511
Journal / PublicationEuropean Journal of Operational Research
Volume214
Issue number3
Publication statusPublished - Nov 2011

Abstract

In the shipping and transportation industry, there are several types of standard containers with different dimensions and different associated costs. In this paper, we examine the multiple container loading cost minimization problem (MCLCMP), where the objective is to load products of various types into containers of various sizes so as to minimize the total cost. We transform the MCLCMP into an extended set cover problem that is formulated using linear integer programming and solve it with a heuristic to generate columns. Experiments on standard bin-packing instances show our approach is superior to prior approaches. Additionally, since the optimal solutions for existing test data is unknown, we propose a technique to generate test data with known optimal solutions for MCLCMP. © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Research Area(s)

  • Container loading, Design of experiments, Heuristics, Integer programming, Packing

Citation Format(s)

The multiple container loading cost minimization problem. / Che, Chan Hou; Huang, Weili; Lim, Andrew et al.
In: European Journal of Operational Research, Vol. 214, No. 3, 11.2011, p. 501-511.

Research output: Journal Publications and Reviews (RGC: 21, 22, 62)21_Publication in refereed journalpeer-review