Design and Evaluation of an Integrated Autonomous Control Method for Automobile Terminals

<i>Background</i>: Automobile terminals play a key role in global finished car supply chains. Due to their connecting character between manufacturers on the one side and distributers on the other side, they are continuously faced with volatile demand fluctuations and unforeseen dynamic e...

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Main Authors: Michael Görges, Michael Freitag
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2022-10-01
Series:Logistics
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2305-6290/6/4/73
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author Michael Görges
Michael Freitag
author_facet Michael Görges
Michael Freitag
author_sort Michael Görges
collection DOAJ
description <i>Background</i>: Automobile terminals play a key role in global finished car supply chains. Due to their connecting character between manufacturers on the one side and distributers on the other side, they are continuously faced with volatile demand fluctuations and unforeseen dynamic events, which cannot be handled adequately by existing planning methods. Autonomous control concepts already showed promising results coping with such dynamics. <i>Methods</i>: This paper describes the causes of dynamics and the terminal systems’ inherent shortcomings in dealing with such dynamics. On this basis, it derives terminal’s demand for novel planning approaches and presents a new integrated autonomous control method for automobile terminals. This novel autonomous control approach combines yard and berth assignments. This paper evaluates the performance of the new approach in a small comprehensive generic scenario. It compares classical planning approaches with the new autonomous control approach, by using a discrete event simulation model. Moreover, it analyses all relevant parameters of the new approach in a full factorial experiment design. In a second step this paper proves the applicability of the combined autonomous control approach to real-world terminals. It presents a simulation model of a real-world terminal and compares the new method with the existing terminal planning approaches. <i>Results</i>: This paper will show that the autonomous control approach is capable of outperforming existing centralized planning methods. In the generic and in the real-world case the new combined method leads to the best logistic target achievement. <i>Conclusions</i>: The new approach is highly suitable to automobile terminal systems and helps to overcome existing shortcomings. Especially in highly dynamic and complex settings, autonomous control performs better than conventional yard planning approaches.
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spelling doaj-art-e1405552bbb441c8aa74e779cf5b08d42025-08-20T03:19:07ZengMDPI AGLogistics2305-62902022-10-01647310.3390/logistics6040073Design and Evaluation of an Integrated Autonomous Control Method for Automobile TerminalsMichael Görges0Michael Freitag1Planning and Control of Production and Logistics Systems (PSPS), Faculty of Production Engineering, University of Bremen, c/o BIBA, Hochschulring 20, 28359 Bremen, GermanyPlanning and Control of Production and Logistics Systems (PSPS), Faculty of Production Engineering, University of Bremen, c/o BIBA, Hochschulring 20, 28359 Bremen, Germany<i>Background</i>: Automobile terminals play a key role in global finished car supply chains. Due to their connecting character between manufacturers on the one side and distributers on the other side, they are continuously faced with volatile demand fluctuations and unforeseen dynamic events, which cannot be handled adequately by existing planning methods. Autonomous control concepts already showed promising results coping with such dynamics. <i>Methods</i>: This paper describes the causes of dynamics and the terminal systems’ inherent shortcomings in dealing with such dynamics. On this basis, it derives terminal’s demand for novel planning approaches and presents a new integrated autonomous control method for automobile terminals. This novel autonomous control approach combines yard and berth assignments. This paper evaluates the performance of the new approach in a small comprehensive generic scenario. It compares classical planning approaches with the new autonomous control approach, by using a discrete event simulation model. Moreover, it analyses all relevant parameters of the new approach in a full factorial experiment design. In a second step this paper proves the applicability of the combined autonomous control approach to real-world terminals. It presents a simulation model of a real-world terminal and compares the new method with the existing terminal planning approaches. <i>Results</i>: This paper will show that the autonomous control approach is capable of outperforming existing centralized planning methods. In the generic and in the real-world case the new combined method leads to the best logistic target achievement. <i>Conclusions</i>: The new approach is highly suitable to automobile terminal systems and helps to overcome existing shortcomings. Especially in highly dynamic and complex settings, autonomous control performs better than conventional yard planning approaches.https://www.mdpi.com/2305-6290/6/4/73autonomous controlautomobile terminalport operationsimulation
spellingShingle Michael Görges
Michael Freitag
Design and Evaluation of an Integrated Autonomous Control Method for Automobile Terminals
Logistics
autonomous control
automobile terminal
port operation
simulation
title Design and Evaluation of an Integrated Autonomous Control Method for Automobile Terminals
title_full Design and Evaluation of an Integrated Autonomous Control Method for Automobile Terminals
title_fullStr Design and Evaluation of an Integrated Autonomous Control Method for Automobile Terminals
title_full_unstemmed Design and Evaluation of an Integrated Autonomous Control Method for Automobile Terminals
title_short Design and Evaluation of an Integrated Autonomous Control Method for Automobile Terminals
title_sort design and evaluation of an integrated autonomous control method for automobile terminals
topic autonomous control
automobile terminal
port operation
simulation
url https://www.mdpi.com/2305-6290/6/4/73
work_keys_str_mv AT michaelgorges designandevaluationofanintegratedautonomouscontrolmethodforautomobileterminals
AT michaelfreitag designandevaluationofanintegratedautonomouscontrolmethodforautomobileterminals