Roadmap towards zero-operator decentralized warehousing for e-commerce logistics

Start Date Research: 04/10/2023
In order to relieve the overflowing supply chain of the e-commerce industry, alternative solutions are sought. Hence, this consortium proposes a research into the implementation of decentralized zero-operator warehousing. In this research, several aspects of the supply chain will be investigated. First, logistics of decentralized supply chains will be captured in a simulation model, in a holistic approach. Second, the design aspects of an autonomous warehouse will be investigated. Operational decision-making, like job assignment and routing of agents, will be included in this research. Finally, logistics of last-mile delivery will be researched, with a focus towards sustainable delivery solutions. The system will be modelled as a multi-agent system (MAS). Existing theory will be analyzed for solution methods that can solve the (sub-)problems. Where existing solutions are unavailable, new solution methods will be proposed, e.g. new heuristics or agents trained with machine learning. The knowledge obtained from the research above will be captured in a technology roadmap, describing a realistic approach towards the implementation of decentralized zero-operator warehousing in the e-commerce sector. The transient period preceding full integration will be discussed, and artifacts that are subject to future research will be identified.
Supervisors: Ivo Adan, Vinh Dang, Zümbül Atan