Abstract
Paper aims This paper studies a new Cross-Docking (CD) scheduling problem inspired by the trend of resource mutualization at CD operations where a company owning a CD platform can lease its docks to other companies. Originality This work pioneers the studies of the resource mutualization at CD operations solving at scheduling problem, where there is a set of requirements for leasing the loading and unloading docks for a period, and the company owning the docks can accept or decline each requirement. Considering that the availability of the docks is linked to scheduling the trucks at the company’s loading and unloading docks, the decision to accept the requirements must be made along with the decisions for scheduling the trucks. Research method To solve this problem, this work proposes a Mixed-Integer Linear Programming (MILP) formulation. Main findings Using a commercial solver, the MILP formulation can optimally solve 65/128 instances based on a real operation. For the remaining instances, the MILP formulation obtains an average optimized gap of 8.95%. Implications for theory and practice The MILP formulation obtains acceptable results. Moreover, we found that all the instances accepted the requirements showing that it is economically interesting to lease docks.
Highlights
Cross docking (CD) is a logistics distribution strategy used by many companies for arriving to clients faster; being more competitive
Paper aims: This paper studies a new Cross-Docking (CD) scheduling problem inspired by the trend of resource mutualization at CD operations where a company owning a CD platform can lease its docks to other companies
This work pioneers the studies of the resource mutualization at CD operations solving at scheduling problem, where there is a set of requirements for leasing the loading and unloading docks for a period, and the company owning the docks can accept or decline each requirement
Summary
Cross docking (CD) is a logistics distribution strategy used by many companies for arriving to clients faster; being more competitive. One of the most common ones is determining the order at which the inbound and outbound trucks need to be served, as well as the assignation of the trucks at the docks This decision is made aiming a synchronization between both inbound and outbound trucks that allows the reduction of waiting times for the trucks, their unnecessary displacement, or their temporary storing (Boysen et al, 2010). Following current trends on mutualization of logistics resources, this work solves a truck-scheduling optimization problem for a CD platform that mutualizes its docks with other allied companies. The decisions for accepting requirements and scheduling the company’s trucks need to be made in a way that minimize the total cost, which is defined as the truck-waiting costs minus the benefit that can be received with taking in requirements In this problem, it is assumed that all the trucks have an arrival time and that all the inbound and outbound docks are mutually exclusive.
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