Główne pojęcia
The paper proposes an optimization-based learning framework to efficiently and effectively adjust existing load plans as more accurate package volume forecast becomes available, enabling terminal planners to better manage daily operations while maintaining service guarantees.
Streszczenie
The paper considers the Outbound Load Planning Problem (OLPP) in parcel delivery service networks. The OLPP decides the number of trailers and their types to be scheduled for outbound dispatch to other terminals, and the allocation of package volumes to available routing options while respecting trailer capacity constraints.
The key contributions are:
- The paper proposes the Lexicographic Outbound Load Planning Problem (LOLPP) to eliminate symmetries and provide stable optimal load plans that are as close as possible to a pre-determined reference plan.
- The paper proposes an optimization proxy that combines a machine learning model and a repair procedure to find near-optimal solutions that satisfy real-time constraints imposed by planners in the loop.
- The computational study on industrial instances shows that the optimization proxy is around 10 times faster than the commercial solver in obtaining solutions of similar quality, and orders of magnitude faster in generating solutions that are consistent with a reference plan.
- The experiments demonstrate the value of having alternate routing options, which can allocate approximately 17% of package volume and reduce the required trailer capacity by 12%-15%.
Statystyki
The total commodity volume at the terminals ranges from 9,000 to 20,000 cubes.
The number of planned trailers in the reference plan ranges from 150 to 2,000.