A Hybrid Simulation and Reinforcement Learning Algorithm for Enhancing Efficiency in Warehouse Operations
Leon, Jonas F. (Universitat Oberta de Catalunya. Departament d'Informàtica, Multimèdia i Telecomunicació)
Li, Yuda (Universitat Politècnica de València. Research Center on Production Management and Engineering)
Martin, Xabier A (Universitat Politècnica de València. Research Center on Production Management and Engineering)
Calvet Liñan, Laura (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament d'Enginyeria de Sistemes i Telecomunicacions)
Panadero, Javier (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament d'Arquitectura de Computadors i Sistemes Operatius)
Juan, Ángel A (Universitat Politècnica de València. Research Center on Production Management and Engineering)

Date:	2023
Abstract:	The use of simulation and reinforcement learning can be viewed as a flexible approach to aid managerial decision-making, particularly in the face of growing complexity in manufacturing and logistic systems. Efficient supply chains heavily rely on steamlined warehouse operations, and therefore, having a well-informed storage location assignment policy is crucial for their improvement. The traditional methods found in the literature for tackling the storage location assignment problem have certain drawbacks, including the omission of stochastic process variability or the neglect of interaction between various warehouse workers. In this context, we explore the possibilities of combining simulation with reinforcement learning to develop effective mechanisms that allow for the quick acquisition of information about a complex environment, the processing of that information, and then the decision-making about the best storage location assignment. In order to test these concepts, we will make use of the FlexSim commercial simulator.
Grants:	European Commission 101057294 European Commission 101092612 Agència de Gestió d'Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca 2020/DI-116
Rights:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, la comunicació pública de l'obra i la creació d'obres derivades, fins i tot amb finalitats comercials, sempre i quan es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original.
Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Subject:	Warehouse operations ; Hybrid algorithms ; Simulation ; Reinforcement learning ; Optimization
Published in:	Algorithms, Vol. 16, Issue 9 (September 2023) , art. 408, ISSN 1999-4893

DOI: 10.3390/a16090408

22 p, 2.5 MB

The record appears in these collections:
Articles > Research articles
Articles > Published articles