One of the challenging problems for surface mining operation optimization is choosing the optimal truck and loader fleet. This problem is the Equipment Selection Problem (ESP). In this paper, we describe the ESP in the context of surface mining. We discuss related problems and applications. Within the scope of both the ESP and related problems, … Read more
We suggest a method for equivalent transformation of a quantile optimization problem with discrete distribution of random parameters to mixed integer programming problems. The number of additional integer (in fact boolean) variables in the equivalent problems equals to the number of possible scenarios for random data. The obtained mixed integer problems are solved by standard … Read more
We study a variant of the classical transportation problem in which suppliers with limited capacities have a choice of which demands (markets) to satisfy. We refer to this problem as the transportation problem with market choice (TPMC). While the classical transportation problem is known to be strongly polynomial-time solvable, we show that its market choice … Read more
In this paper we introduce the Periodic Petrol Station Replenishment Problem (PPSRP) over a T-day planning horizon and we describe four heuristic methods for its solution. Even though all the proposed heuristics belong to the common partitioning-then-routing paradigm, they differ in the way of assigning the stations to each day of the horizon. The resulting … Read more
For reasons of tractability, the airline scheduling problem has traditionally been sequentially decomposed into various stages (eg. schedule generation, fleet assignment, aircraft routing, and crew pairing), with the decisions from one stage imposed upon the decision making process in subsequent stages. Whilst this approach greatly simplifies the solution process, it unfortunately fails to capture the … Read more
Users are often faced with the problem of finding complementary items that together achieve a single common goal (e.g., a starter kit for a novice astronomer, a collection of question/answers related to low-carb nutrition, a set of places to visit on holidays). In this paper, we argue that for some application scenarios returning item bundles … Read more
A big bucket time indexed mixed integer linear programming formulation for nonpreemptive single machine scheduling problems is presented in which the length of each period can be as large as the processing time of the shortest job. The model generalises the classical time indexed model to one in which at most two jobs can be … Read more
Abstract This paper presents a novel formulation for the Traveling Salesman Problem (TSP), utilizing a binary list data-structure allocating cities to its leaves to form sequentially the tour of the problem. The structure allows the elimination of subtours from the formulation and at the same time reducing the number of binary variables to ${\cal O}(N\log_{2}N)$. … Read more
As resources become scarce and expensive, it has become increasingly important for players in a decentralised supply chain to collaborate. One of the main challenges in collaboration is to find close to globally optimal solutions without sharing individual player’s private data. Taking a decentralised resource constrained scheduling problem as an example we present a methodology … Read more
Strategic capacity planning is a core activity for the Hunter Valley Coal Chain Coordinator as demand for coal is expected to double in the next decade. Optimization and simulation models are used to suggest and evaluate infrastructure expansions and operating policy changes. These models require input data in the form of shipping stems, which are … Read more