A tree search method for the container loading problem with shipment priority

This paper addresses a special kind of container loading problem with shipment priority. We present a tree search method, which is based on a greedy heuristic. In the greedy heuristic, blocks made up of identical items with the same orientation are selected for packing into a container. Five evaluation functions are proposed for block selection, and the different blocks selected by each evaluation function constitute the branches of the search tree. A method of space splitting and merging is also embedded in the algorithm to facilitate efficient use of the container space. In addition, the proposed algorithm covers an important constraint called shipment priority to solve practical problems. The validity of the proposed algorithm is examined by comparing the present results with those of published algorithms using the same data.

► Different evaluation functions constitute the branches of the search tree.
► The method generates high-quality results for container loading problem instances.
► A practical constraint called shipment priority is considered.