A RFIDbased Iterative Heuristics Expert System for Enhancing Shipment Consolidation Process in Logis

1
A RFID-based IterativeHeuristics Expert System
forEnhancing Shipment Consolidation Processin
Logistics Operations????????????????????????????
???

• Dr. SK Kwok ?????
• Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering
• The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
• ?????? ?????????

2
Introduction ??

• Shipment consolidation is a laborious and tedious
  task for airfreight forwarders.
• In Hong Kong, the unique forwarding operation and
  rapid cargo flow has further complicated the
  consolidating process.
• Local forwarders are almost impossible to achieve
  the best selection of logistics workflow through
  the functions of human brain solely.
• Recently, the applications of Radio Frequency
  Identification (RFID) technology in logistics
  areas seem to be a growing trend due to its
  unique track and trace capability.
• ???????????????????????
• ???,?????????????????????????
• ???????,????????????????????
• ????????(RFID)???????,?????????????????

3
Introduction ??

• This paper presents an Iterative Heuristics
  Expert System (IHES) for solving shipment
  consolidation problem, adopting rule-based
  reasoning to provide expert advice for cargo
  allocation and subsequently applying container
  loading specific heuristics to support the cargo
  loading process.
• ??????????,??????????????(IHES)??????????(rule
  -based reasoning)????????????,??????????(Iterative
  Heuristics)???????????

4
Business Background ????

• Airfreight forwarders are typically third party
  logistics. They are responsible
• for supervising the movement of cargoes from
  receiving shippers cargo to dedicated
  consignees.
• In general, consolidation of shipments is the
  primary means to lower costs among shipments by
  achieving better utilization of resources.
• ??????????????????????
• ????????,??????????????????
• ????,???????????????????,???????????

5
Current Approach ?????

• Figure below shows the traditional approach of
  shipment consolidation in Hong Kong. The
  shipment consolidation includes two domains, i.e.
  cargo allocation and cargo loading. These two
  domains are completely different but highly
  interrelated.
• However, due to the fact that these two domains
  are performed separately by two groups of
  specialists, forwarders have no idea about the
  way to link up these two domains, thus hindering
  the optimization of related activities within the
  chain of shipment consolidation.
• ??????????-???????????????????????????????
• ?? ,?????????????????????,???????????????,????????
  ????????

6
Current Approach ?????
Officers have difficulties in cargo mix loading
??????????????,????????
After having loading decision, they give cargo
allocation plans to pallet loaders
????????????????????
However, conflicts on cargo loading decision
occur very often between these two parities.
Because the officers can only provide rough
estimation, they dont know the detailed size and
shape of individual cargo within a particular
shipment ????????,????????????????,??????????????
,?????????
Pallet loaders follow the instruction to load
appointed cargoes to appointed pallet
????????????,?????????????
7
Proposed Approach ?????

• An expert system approach, which should be able
  to leverage and exploit the interaction between
  cargo allocation and cargo loading domains, is
  necessary to be in place to aid forwarders in
  enhancing their quality of shipment consolidation
  decision as well as operational efficiency.
• ????????????,??????????????????,??????????????,???
  ?????????????????

8
Background on Expert System???????

• The advantage of applying expert systems to
  assist problem solving is that the confidence of
  correct decision can be greatly increased.
• Rule-based Reasoning
• ????????,??????????????????????????
• ????

9
Background on Expert System???????

• Container Loading Problem and Heuristics
• For dealing with container loading problem in
  varies shape rather than rectangular solely,
  Pisinger suggests an approach which is based on
  the design of wall-building method.
• This approach is a new heuristics method focusing
  on arranging the given cargo into a number of
  vertical layers which again are spilt into a
  number of strips.
• ????????????
• ?????????????,??????????,Pisinger?????,???????????
  ???
• ???????????????,????????????????

Modified Wall Building Approach for pallets
????????????
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Iterative Heuristics Expert Technology
(IHET)??????????

• IHET is the embedded technology of the proposed
  expert system (IHES) in this research. The aim of
  IHES is to support optimization of shipment
  consolidation by utilizing two problem domains,
  namely, cargo allocation and cargo loading.
• ??????????(IHET)????????????(IHES)????????????????
  (IHES)?????????????,????????????????????

11
Iterative Heuristics Expert Technology
(IHET)??????????
12
Iterative Heuristics Expert Technology
(IHET)??????????

• Generally speaking, the innovative technology
  (IHET) covers the all related activities in the
  chain of shipment consolidation by the adoption
  of rule-based forwarding chaining and container
  loading specific heuristics. Moreover, the
  quality of a particular consolidating decision
  can be further enhanced through continuous
  improvement mechanism.
• ????,???????????? (Rule-based Forwarding
  Chaining)???????????? (Container Loading Specific
  Heuristics),?????(IHET)???????????? (Shipment
  Consolidation)????????,?????? (Consolidating
  Decision)???????????????????????

13
Iterative Heuristics Expert Technology
(IHET)??????????
Rule-based Reasoning ????
16 cargo allocation plans
14 failed outcomes
Heuristics ????
2 feasible solutions
Iterative Heuristics Expert Technology
(IHET) ?????????
4 modified solutions
6 feasible solutions
With illustration of cost, profit and volume
utilization ??????????????????
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Flow of IHES?????????(IHES)???
Airline Company ????
Customers ??
Cargo Loading ????
IHES ?????????
Forwarders ???
Database
IHET ?????????
Load Plans ????
Cargoes Allocation Plans ??????
15
System Architecture ?????
X M L
X M L
RFID
RFID
Linked with 3rd Party Purchase Order Management
System (POMS)
Linked with 3rd Party Airway Bill Management
System (ABMS)
IHES
Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)
RFID Assignment
Information Update through RFID such as
Purchase Order (PO)
House Airway Bill (HAWB)
Flight Selection
Shipment Verification
Purchase Order
Cargo Dimensions
Point of Sales
Carrier Selection
Cargo Location Tracking
Cargo Gross Weight
Pallet Identification
Warehouse Management
Cargo Volume Weight
Customers Information
Load Plan Generation
Destination
RFID-Based Iterative Heuristics Expert System
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System Architecture ?????

• The IHES is divided into three modules, namely,
  input module, middleware, output module. XML is a
  tool for helping them to communicate with each
  other.
• Input Module
• Middleware
• Output Module
• ????????????????,??????????????????XML????????????
  ?????
• ???? (Input Module)
• ??? (Middleware)
• ???? (Output Module)

17
System Architecture ?????

• Input Module
• The Input Module facilities the document
  automation within the freight forwarding
  operation such as House Airway Bill (HAWB),
  Manifest, Master Airway Bill (MAWB), etc. Some
  cargo information liked, cargo dimensions, gross
  weight.
• ????
• ???????????????????,????????? (HAWB)?????????
  (MAWB) ????????????,???????????

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System Architecture ?????

• Middleware
• The Middleware can suggest potential carrier,
  appropriate flight and pallet for a particular
  shipment.
• The optimized load plan can also be generated for
  assisting forwarders in the pallet loading
  issues.
• The RFID tag is attached in each cargo of a
  shipment. For each critical location, it has a
  RFID reader to read the tags of it in order to
  monitor the status of each cargo.
• The middleware provides a protocol XML to
  communicate with all the input and output
  software so that it can be used with different
  platform, brand name forwarding solution.
• ???
• ????????????????????????????????
• ???????????????????,?????????
• ???? (RFID tag) ????????????????????????????????,?
  ??????????,????????????
• ???????????XML,???????????,???????????????????????
  ?

19
System Architecture ?????

• Output Module
• The Output Module helps to update the status of
  the purchase order made in the early stage and
  track the location of the cargoes.
• Furthermore, it has linkages with the retail shop
  and monitors the sales status of each item.
• ????
• ????????????????????,??????????
• ????,??????????,??????????????

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Case Example ??
Cargo verification
Flight selection
Load plan Optimization
Document automation
Cargo tracking
Office ???
Office ???
Customers calls????
XML
XML
Warehouse ??
Input information Customer name
TaiFok Destination Miami Number of pieces
168 Size 128x104x107 HAWB AL203843 PO number
FEL0001673 Cost 9/kg
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Conclusion ??

• Insight related to the problems of logistics
  shipment issues
• Approaches to deal with the issues
• Design and implementation of an expert system
  embedded with a new technology IHET (combined
  artificial intelligence and heuristics
  techniques)
• This system is favorable to the progressive
  introduction of captured knowledge into the
  operation and is expected to influence the design
  of the next generation of logistics supporting
  systems particularly in airfreight forwarding
  business.
• ?????????????
• ??????????
• ?????????? (IHET) ?????(??????????????)
• ????????????????,??????????????????,???????????

22
Thank You !
23
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• ??????????,??????????????(IHES)??????????(rule-ba
  sed reasoning)????????????,??????????(Iterative
  Heuristics)???????????

25
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26
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28
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29
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• ????????????
• ?????????????,??????????,Pisinger?????,???????????
  ???
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30
??????????Iterative Heuristics Expert Technology
(IHET)

• ??????????(IHET)????????????(IHES)??????
• ??????????(IHES)?????????????,????????????????????
  

31
?????????(Iterative Heuristics Expert
Technology, IHET)
32
?????????(Iterative Heuristics Expert
Technology, IHET)

• ????,???????????? (Rule-basedForwardingChaining)??
  ?????????? (ContainerLoadingSpecificHeuristics),??
  ???(IHET)???????????? (Shipment
  Consolidation)????????,?????? (ConsolidatingDecisi
  on)???????????????????????

33
?????????(Iterative Heuristics Expert
Technology, IHET)
????(Rule-based Reasoning)
16???????
14???????
???? (Heuristics)
??2??????
?????????(Iterative Heuristics Expert
Technology, IHET)
4?????????
??6??????
(??????????????????)
34
?????????(IHET)???
????
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????
?????????(IHES)
???
???
?????????(IHET)
????
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35
?????
X M L
X M L
RFID
RFID
?????? ??????? (POMS)
?????????????? (ABMS)
?????????(IHES)
??????(RFID)
RFID ??
??RFID?????,?
??? (PO)
???????? (HAWB)
?????
????
???
????
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???????
??????
?????(??)
????
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?RFID?????????????
36
?????

• ????????????????,??????????????????XML????????????
  ?????
• ???? (Input Module)
• ??? (Middleware)
• ???? (Output Module)

37
?????

• ???? (Input Module)
• ???????????????????,????????? (HAWB)?????????
  (MAWB) ????????????,???????????

38
?????

• ??? (Middleware)
• ????????????????????????????????
• ???????????????????,?????????
• ???? (RFID tag) ????????????????????????????????,?
  ??????????,????????????
• ???????????XML,???????????,???????????????????????
  ?

39
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• ???? (Output Module)
• ????????????????????,??????????
• ????,??????????,??????????????

40
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XML
XML
????
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???? ???? TaiFok ?????? ???? 168 ??
128x104x107 ???????? AL203843 ?????
FEL0001673 ?? 9/kg
41
??

• ?????????????
• ??????????
• ?????????? (IHET) ?????(??????????????)
• ????????????????,??????????????????,???????????