Integral Optimization of the Container Loading Problem

The rapid globalization of the world economy has led to the development of ample and quickly growing (aerial, maritime, terrestrial) networks for merchandise distribution in containers [Wang et al., 2008]. The transport costs afforded by the specialized companies operating in this sector are directly related to appropriate loading and efficient use of space [Xue and Lai, 1997a]. The efficient loading of a set of containers can be done technically by solving the Container Loading Problem (CLP).
CLPs are NP-Hard problems that basically consist in placing a series of rectangular boxes inside a rectangular container of known dimensions, seeking to optimize volume utilization [Pisinger, 2002], and taking into consideration the basic constraints enounced by Wäscher et al. (2007): (i) all the boxes must be totally accommodated inside the container, and (ii) boxes should not overlap. Notwithstanding, the solving of actual container loading problems can
be limited or rendered inappropriate if only these two constraints are considered [Bischoff and Ratcliff, 1995; Bortfeldt and Gehring, 2001; Eley 2002].