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Resequencing with parallel queues to minimize the maximum number of items in the overflow area
Author(s) -
Boywitz David,
Boysen Nils,
Briskorn Dirk
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
naval research logistics (nrl)
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.665
H-Index - 68
eISSN - 1520-6750
pISSN - 0894-069X
DOI - 10.1002/nav.21699
Subject(s) - queue , computer science , sequence (biology) , heuristic , block (permutation group theory) , process (computing) , queueing theory , order (exchange) , operations research , parallel computing , mathematical optimization , algorithm , mathematics , artificial intelligence , computer network , combinatorics , operating system , genetics , finance , biology , economics
This article treats an elementary optimization problem, where an inbound stream of successive items is to be resequenced with the help of multiple parallel queues in order to restore an intended target sequence. Whenever early items block the one item to be currently released into the target sequence, they are withdrawn from their queue and intermediately stored in an overflow area until their actual release is reached. We aim to minimize the maximum number of items simultaneously stored in the overflow area during the complete resequencing process. We met this problem in industry practice at a large German automobile producer, who has to resequence containers with car seats prior to the assembly process. We formalize the resulting resequencing problem and provide suited exact and heuristic solution algorithms. In our computational study, we also address managerial aspects such as how to properly avoid the negative effects of sequence alterations. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics 63: 401–415, 2016