Development of a decision support system for solving container loading problems

Abstract

Te globalization of supply chains and rising fuel costs are forcing container carriers both to minimize the number of trips and to maximize available container space. Tis makes container loading (CL) a critical process especially in real-life applications. Container loading (CL), which is a difcult problem to be solved, has many applications in container transportation and distribution industries. Tis article presents a container loading support system (CLSS). Te proposed CLSS composes of three main components, including a hybrid Bees Algorithm as the main computational algorithm, the graphical user interface (GUI) and a simulation program. Te aim of the designed system is to make the packing pattern more visible to the user in order to simplify the loading process. An illustrative example - a CL problem from literature - is also provided to introduce the operation of the system and to prove its efciency.