Optimising batching, routing, and repositioning decisions in warehouse order picking
This project addresses key operational challenges in the order picking process — the most labour-intensive activity in warehouse operations. Over the course of the project, we developed exact and heuristic algorithms for order batching, picker routing, and SKU repositioning, and explored how anticipatory strategies and demand forecasting can improve picking efficiency under uncertainty.
Methodological contributions include exact and metaheuristic formulations building on the generalised travelling salesman problem and the vehicle routing problem, evaluated and disseminated across a series of international conferences, workshops, and symposia.