Comparing Heuristic Search Methods and Genetic Algorithms for Warehouse Scheduling

We compare several techniques for scheduling shipment of customer orders for the Coors Brewing warehouse and production line. The goal is to minimize time at dock for trucks and railcars while also minimizing inventory. The techniques include a genetic algorithm, local search operators, heuristic rules, systematic search and hybrid approaches. Initial results show a hybrid genetic algorithm to be superior to the other methods. The evaluation function is a fast approximate form of a warehouse simulation. We also assess the sensitivity of the search algorithms to noise in an approximate evaluation function using a more detailed (and costly) simulation.