Towards automatic decision support system for emballage management – PostNL

 Overview

Company Description

One of PostNL’s most important service is to transport parcels ordered at web shops to consumers. To enable a sustainable growth PostNL is involved in a digital transformation of the supply chain, where capacity planning and steering is endorsed by both historic and realtime data sources. This transformation poses many challenges in the field of operational research and data science.

Project Description

The parcel supply chain of PostNL consists of: collection, first sorting, inter transport, second sorting and distribution. To transport parcels within the supply chain, mostly roll containers are used as packaging material. The supply chain requires an accurate management of the packaging material: customers need to receive empty trolleys in time and in the right quantity and this has to be realized at the lowest possible costs. Also, the sorting centres themselves need to maintain an appropriate buffer of empty roll containers to enable the inter-transport

Goals of the Project

Devise a decision support system for trolley management based on a cost model and real time IoT data of our trolley fleet. Precise goals are dependent on end point of previous project in this direction.

Deliverables

• Python code for inter transport planning
• Recommendations for further research based on given data and own explorations.

Essential Student Knowledge 

Python, (deep) reinforcement learning, linear programming, mathematical modelling

More information: escf@tue.nl