Evaluation of automated guided vehicle systems for container terminals using multi agent based simulation

Abstract

Due to globalization and the growth of international trade, many container terminals are trying to improve performance in order to keep up with demand. One technology that has been proposed is the use of Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) in the handling of containers within terminals. Recently, a new generation of AGVs has been developed which makes use of cassettes that can be detached from the AGV. We have developed an agent-based simulator for evaluating the cassette-based system and comparing it to a more traditional AGV system. In addition, a number of different configurations of container terminal equipment, e.g., number of AGVs and cassettes, have been studied in order to find the most efficient configuration. The simulation results suggest that there are configurations in which the cassette-based system is more cost efficient than a traditional AGV system, as well as confirming that multi agent based simulation is a promising approach to this type of applications.