A heuristic algorithm for the container loading problem with complex loading constraints

Abstract

In this paper, we propose a heuristic algorithm for a container loading problem for logistic platforms, which is the problem for the Challenge Renault/ESICUP 2015. The three-dimensional container loading problem involves packing a set of cuboid items into bins so as to minimize the total volume used. In this paper, we propose an effective approach to solve this problem based on a greedy strategy. We first generate high-quality stacks that consist of some items and then pack these stacks on the floor of bins, considering the resulting problem as a two-dimensional bin packing problem. The proposed algorithm is tested on a series of instances provided for the challenge. The computational results show that the proposed algorithm performs well on these instances.

Keywords

• container loading
• bin packing
• greedy strategy
• challenge renault/esicup