@Article{RanckJúniorYanaMoraJunq:2019:HyApMu,
               author = "Ranck J{\'u}nior, Rodolfo and Yanasse, Hor{\'a}cio Hideki and 
                         Morabito, Reinaldo and Junqueira, Leonardo",
          affiliation = "{Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais (INPE)} and 
                         {Universidade Federal de S{\~a}o Paulo (UNIFESP)} and 
                         {Universidade Federal de S{\~a}o Carlos (UFSCar)} and 
                         {Universidade de S{\~a}o Paulo (USP)}",
                title = "A hybrid approach for a multi-compartment container loading 
                         problem",
              journal = "Expert Systems with Applications",
                 year = "2019",
               volume = "137",
                pages = "471--492",
                month = "Dec.",
             keywords = "Container loading problems, hybrid approach, multiple 
                         compartments, beverage distribution.",
             abstract = "In this paper, we address a real problem of packing boxes into a 
                         multi-compartment container, in which the boxes must be delivered 
                         to customers in a predefined route. This problem arises, for 
                         example, in the distribution of beverages (packed in boxes) by 
                         trucks whose container has multiple compartments. The objective is 
                         to find a feasible packing plan that minimizes the handling of 
                         boxes inside the container along the whole truck route. The 
                         following practical constraints must be met: orientation of the 
                         boxes, cargo stability, load bearing strength of the boxes and 
                         load balancing. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first 
                         study focusing on a vehicle packing problem with multi-compartment 
                         containers in the context of beverage distribution. To solve this 
                         problem, we present a hybrid approach which consists of a 
                         heuristic method based on the generation of horizontal layers and 
                         on the solution of mixed integer linear programming models. 
                         Computational tests were performed with this approach and a large 
                         variety of instances based on real data from a soft drink company. 
                         The results show that the approach is able to find feasible 
                         solutions for all instances considered under all constraints, 
                         contrary to what was observed in practice with the manual 
                         procedures available in the company. In practice, if a feasible 
                         solution is not obtained, it is necessary to change the predefined 
                         route plan and/or to consider an additional new delivery route 
                         and/or to use a solution that violates some of the constraints 
                         involved. In this sense, the proposed solution approach has good 
                         potential for being embedded into existing expert and intelligent 
                         systems for supporting the decision making process.",
                 issn = "0957-4174",
             language = "en",
           targetfile = "ranck_hybrid.pdf",
        urlaccessdate = "27 abr. 2024"
}