Zheyi Tan’s research while affiliated with Shanghai University and other places

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Publications (37)


Optimizing Warehouse Operations with Autonomous Mobile Robots
  • Article

April 2025

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81 Reads

Transportation Science

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Zheyi Tan

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[...]

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Autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) can support human pickers in warehouse picking operations by reducing picker walking distance and increasing the warehouse’s throughput. AMR-assisted order picking is becoming popular as it can be conveniently implemented in conventional warehouses. This study proposes an integrated optimization model for scheduling the operations in AMR-assisted picker-to-parts warehouse systems. The model aims to minimize the makespan of all picking operations for a batch of orders by assigning batched orders to AMRs, selecting storage racks for AMRs and pickers to visit, and determining the routes of the AMRs and the pickers. A column- and row-generation algorithm is designed to solve the model using synchronization constraints between AMRs and pickers. Numerical experiments are conducted to validate the applicability of our proposed algorithm in a warehouse that handles 16,000 orders per day. Our algorithm can solve small-scale instances to optimality. Our algorithm can also obtain better solutions in less time than a column generation (CG)–based method. Extensive experiments are conducted to derive managerial insights. Funding: This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [Grants 72025103, 72394360, 72394362, 72401179, 72361137001, and 72371221], the Project of Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality China [Grant 23JC1402200], and the Research Grants Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China (Project number HKSAR RGC TRS T32-707/22-N). Supplemental Material: The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/trsc.2024.0800 .


Scheduling AGVs in ports with battery charging and swapping

February 2025

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21 Reads



How to Deploy Robotic Mobile Fulfillment Systems

September 2023

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169 Reads

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15 Citations

Transportation Science

Many warehouses involved in e-commerce order fulfillment use robotic mobile fulfillment systems. Because demand and variability can be high, scheduling orders, robots, and storage pods in interaction with manual workstations are critical to obtaining high performance. Simultaneously, the scheduling problem is extremely complicated because of interactions between decisions, many of which must be taken timely because of short planning horizons and a constantly changing environment. This paper models all such scheduling decisions in combination to minimize order fulfillment time. We propose two decision methods for the above scheduling problem. The models batch the orders using different batching methods and assign orders and batches to pods and workstations in sequence and robots to jobs. Order picking and stock replenishment operations are included in the models. We conduct numerical experiments based on a real-world case to validate the efficacy and efficiency of the model and algorithm. Instances with 14 workstations, 400 orders, 300 stock-keeping units (SKUs), 160 pods, and 160 robots can be solved to near optimality within four minutes. Our methods can be applied to large instances, for example, using a rolling horizon. Because our model can be solved relatively fast, it can be used to take managerial decisions and obtain executive insights. Our results show that making integrated decisions, even when done heuristically, is more beneficial than sequential, isolated optimization. We also find that positioning pick stations close together along one of the system’s long sides is efficient. The replenishment stations can be grouped along another side. Another finding is that SKU diversity per pod and SKU dispersion over pods have strong and positive impacts on the total completion time of handling order batches. Funding: This work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China [72025103, 72361137001, 71831008, 72071173] and the Research Grants Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China [HKSAR RGC TRS T32-707/22-N]. Supplemental Material: The e-companion is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/trsc.2022.0265 .






How to operate ship fleets under uncertainty

June 2023

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186 Reads

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13 Citations

Production and Operations Management

Ships operated by a liner company are scattered around the world to transport goods. A liner company needs to adjust its shipping network every few months by repositioning its ships to respond to uncertain container shipping demand. Few studies investigate a liner company's multiperiod heterogeneous fleet deployment problem under uncertainty, considering fleet repositioning, ship chartering, demand fulfillment, cargo allocation, and adaptive fleet sizes. To this end, this study formulates a mixed‐integer linear programming model that captures all of these elements. This study also designs a Benders‐based branch‐and‐cut algorithm for this non‐deterministic polynomial‐time (NP)‐hard problem. Two types of acceleration strategies, including approximate upper bound tightening inequalities and Pareto‐optimal cuts, are applied to improve the performance of the algorithm. Extensive numerical experiments show that the proposed algorithm significantly outperforms CPLEX and its Benders decomposition framework in solving the model. We conduct an intensive analysis and find that multistage stochastic programming can lead to better solutions than two‐stage stochastic programming. We also find that 10% of the benefit provided by the multistage model over the two‐stage model is due to better fleet deployment decisions and that 90% of the benefit is due to better demand fulfillment and allocation decisions. By exploring three practical questions regarding driver analysis of liner company profitability, benefits analysis of adaptive fleet sizes, and the influence of the COVID‐19 pandemic on liner shipping, we show how liner companies can benefit from managerial insights obtained in this study.



Citations (30)


... Vehicles like yard trucks [17,18] reach stackers [19] and forklift [20] already demonstrated their hydrogen potential, showing easier management (mostly in terms of vehicle refueling if compared to operating daily schedule) and investment costs comparable to BEVs. The management of hydrogen (H 2 ) in ports in terms of safety (mostly looking at regulatory imposed distances) and refueling/supply is a challenging aspect [21,22]. ...

Reference:

Multi-aspect assessment for the retrofitting of operating vessels in ports by using advanced power systems
Shore hydrogen deployment problem in green ports
  • Citing Article
  • February 2024

Computers & Operations Research

... Deep learning is a subfield of Machine learning wherein the algorithm is built with multiple layers of neurons that can analyze abstract features of given data, [2]. Deep learning is an interesting upand-coming branch of machine learning that has found its applications in many fields, such as computer vision, natural language processing, and logistics, [ [18]. ...

Column generation for service assignment in cloud-based manufacturing
  • Citing Article
  • September 2023

Computers & Operations Research

... Although RMFS has its advantages over manual order picking, it also poses further planning problems regarding system structure, layout planning, storage allocation, and order processing, as Boysen and De Koster (2024) point out. Previous studies have aimed to enhance the performance of RMFS by solving these planning problems and providing design and operational guidance for logistics managers (Merschformann et al., 2019;Wang et al., 2022;Zhen et al., 2023). However, they have concluded that optimizing RMFS is problematic because it emerges as a complex system. ...

How to Deploy Robotic Mobile Fulfillment Systems
  • Citing Article
  • September 2023

Transportation Science

... Instant delivery is limited by the short-order engagement time ranges, e.g., one hour, so advanced technologies and decision-making methods are essential for saving time and speeding the delivery processes. Table 1 lists studies on the operations research of instant delivery, which differs from general delivery in the order engagement time limits [16]. Most studies reviewed apply UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) or drones to cooperate with logistics vehicles. ...

Heterogeneous instant delivery orders scheduling and routing problem
  • Citing Article
  • September 2023

Computers & Operations Research

... This service, tailored for passengers, ensures direct transportation to one's destination without intermediate stops upon request for demandresponsive transport. Implementing this service can significantly enhance passenger satisfaction by minimizing both waiting and riding times, thereby reducing vehicle idle times [31]. For instance, DRT X in Figure 3 Upon receiving a new service request from Passenger D, the DRT control system must determine whether to assign the call to DRT X or DRT Y and identify an optimal insertion point within the existing routes. ...

An optimization model for express delivery with high-speed railway
  • Citing Article
  • August 2023

Transportation Research Part E Logistics and Transportation Review

... Compared with TSSP models that uncertainty information becomes known when the first-stage decisions are determined, MSSP models indicate uncertainty in sequential stages, where only information related to the current stage is revealed after decisions in the previous stages are made. Wu et al. (2023) propose a multi-stage stochastic programming (MSSP) model with uncertain demand for the fleet deployment problem in shipping networks. Then, they develop a Benders-based branchand-cut algorithm to solve it. ...

How to operate ship fleets under uncertainty
  • Citing Article
  • June 2023

Production and Operations Management

... Guo et al. [28] established a rescue traffic route optimization model of considering safety risk and time cost of rescue vehicles in the case where multiple rescuer groups can be dispatched from the departure point and return to replenishment point. To minimize the total risk and total cost of emergency responses, Chen et al. [29] studied the emergency rescue route optimization problem based on a bi-objective robust optimization model. Tan et al. [30] provided a decision tool for urban traffic accident rescue vehicles' integrated deployment problem based on a simulation optimization model. ...

A simulation-based optimization for deploying multiple kinds road rescue vehicles in urban road networks
  • Citing Article
  • May 2023

Computers & Industrial Engineering

... In research on urban logistics focusing on the last mile distribution, Fontaine et al. (2023) studied the design of city logistics networks with multiple logistics service providers. Zhen et al. (2023) studied territorial design and urban delivery services, and Calabrò et al. (2023) assistance in planning future-generation transit systems. Service design in urban events has gained attention in recent research on design research, particularly from a data management perspective pointing to inconsistent consideration of data, see, e.g. ...

Territorial design for customers with demand frequency
  • Citing Article
  • January 2023

European Journal of Operational Research

... Papers Label for problems Label for methods Strategy [31] SA&YA-L/U&IT&YO-OL-QCASP LO-MetaH-/ Double-cycling [187] SA&YA-L/U&IT-OL-QCASP LO-H&MetaH-/ Single-cycling [188] SA&YA-L/U&IT-TL&OL-QCASP LO-MetaH-/ Double-cycling [189] SA&YA-L/U&IT&YO-TL&OL-QCASP LO-MetaH-/ Double-cycling [190] SA&YA-L/U&IT-OL-QCASP LO-MetaH-/ Single-cycling [191] SA&YA-L/U&YO-TL&OL-QCASP LO-EA-/ Single-cycling [192] SA&YA-L/U&IT&YO-OL-QCASP LO-EA&MetaH-/ Single-cycling [193] SA&YA-L/U&IT&YO-OL-QCASP LO-MetaH-/ Double-cycling/Bidirectional [194] SA&YA-L/U&IT&YO-OL-QCASP LO-MetaH-/ Single-cycling/Double-cycling [195] SA&YA-L/U&IT&YO-OL-QCASP LO&HM-EA-/ Single-cycling [196] SA&YA-L/U&IT&YO-OL-QCASP HM-H-/ Single-cycling [197] SA&YA-L/U&IT-OL-QCASP LO-MetaH-/ Single-cycling/Unidirectional [198] SA&YA-L/U&IT-TL-QCASP OuU-EA-/ Single-cycling [199] SA&YA-L/U&YO-OL-QCASP LO-MetaH-/ Single-cycling different approaches, and emphasize k-shifts and multiple ports as areas for future research. Among recent studies, only one has applied machine learning techniques to solve the slot planning problem (SPP). ...

Quay crane and yard truck dual-cycle scheduling with mixed storage strategy
  • Citing Article
  • October 2022

Advanced Engineering Informatics

... Another important dimension of relief distribution is managing uncertainties, which include variability in demand for relief, disruptions to transportation networks, fluctuating resource availability, and potential facility failures (Desi-Nezhad et al., 2022;Wang et al., 2024a). For example, Siddig and Song (2024) addressed evacuation-related uncertainties in disaster relief planning with a robust optimization model. ...

A two-stage stochastic optimization for disaster rescue resource distribution considering multiple disasters
  • Citing Article
  • November 2022

Engineering Optimization