A multi-methodology agent-based approach for Container Loading

The paper deals with container loading and contends that combining Container Loading Algorithms (CLAs) with Agent-Based Simulation (ABS) is a feasible and useful way of analyzing trade-offs between loading efficiency and various practical considerations in relation to the cargo - such as its stability, fragility, or possible cross-contamination between items over time. The latter perspective is used to demonstrate the merits of the approach. More specifically, the paper considers a situation where the items involved have differing degrees of perishability and badly deteriorated items can affect others (e.g., through mold spreading). The output of the CLAs is used to create agents that simulate the spread of mold through proximity-based interactions. The results show the trade-offs between container utilization and the propagation of mold and demonstrate that there is not necessarily any correlation between these two factors. The key contribution of the research is the multi-methodology agent-based approach to container loading.