Improving the performance of sorter systems by scheduling inbound containers

Abstract

This paper addresses the inbound containers scheduling problem for automated sorter systems in two different industrial sectors: parcel & postal sorting and baggage handling. We build on existing literature, particularly on the dynamic load balancing algorithm designed for the parcel hub scheduling problem, and adapt the existing algorithm to include travel times on sorters. Then, we show how to apply the scheduling algorithms in baggage handling and propose two extensions for scheduling containers in baggage handling. Finally, we conduct computational experiments to analyze the best scheduling approaches for each industrial sector, operational scenario, and system layout. One of the extensions that we propose for the baggage handling sector is the delayability extension, which significantly improves the performance of scheduling approaches