earticle

영어

A cross docking operation involves multiple trucks (known as inbound trucks) that deliver items from suppliers to a distribution center and multiple trucks (known as outbound trucks) that ship items from the distribution center to customers. Based on customer demands, an inbound truck may have its items transferred to multiple outbound trucks. Similarly, an outbound truck can receive its consignments from multiple inbound trucks. A unique characteristic of a cross docking system is the absence or prohibition of long term storage of items at the distribution center. Items delivered to the distribution center from suppliers are shipped to customers as soon as possible without being placed in storage in the distribution center. The objective of this paper is to develop the optimal operational strategy for finding the best truck docking sequence for both inbound and outbound trucks in order to minimize total operation time where a temporary storage area is not available in a cross docking system.