Multi-objective multi-population biased random-key genetic algorithm for the 3-D container loading problem

•A multi-objective genetic algorithm was developed for container loading.•This approach applied multi-population strategy to improve effectiveness.•This approach employed fuzzy logic controller (FLC) to improve efficiency.•Numerical experiments have validated its practical viability.•This solution can enhance the space utilization and the total value of container.

The container loading problem (CLP) has important industrial and commercial application for global logistics and supply chain. Many algorithms have been proposed for solving the 2D/3D container loading problem, yet most of them consider single objective optimization. In practice, container loading involves optimizing a number of objectives. This study aims to develop a multi-objective multi-population biased random-key genetic algorithm for the three-dimensional single container loading problem. In particular, the proposed genetic algorithm applied multi-population strategy and fuzzy logic controller (FLC) to improve efficiency and effectiveness. Indeed, the proposed approach maximizes the container space utilization and the value of total loaded boxes by employing Pareto approach and adaptive weights approach. Numerical experiments are designed to compare the results between the proposed approach and existing approaches in hard and weak heterogeneous cases to estimate the validity of this approach. The results have shown practical viability of this approach. This study concludes with discussions of contributions and future research directions.