This project will be organised around the following research ideas:
The variability that uncertainty induces in Cutting and Packing problems resolution has not yet been properly and systematically treated in the literature, as demonstrated in the previous section.
Taking into account the real-world Cutting and Packing problems, uncertainty may arise mainly related to:
The future demand of the items to cut or pack;
The quality and characteristics of the raw-material, including unexpected defects;
The dimensions of the pieces to cut or pack.
Uncertainty may be dealt by:
an optimized replanning, that minimizes the changes regarding the initial plans, when unexpected events arise.
a robust planning that accommodates as much as possible unforeseen events without the need of new plans.
It is possible, by using sophisticated optimization techniques, mainly based on the hybridization of mathematical programming models and heuristic techniques, to address the resolution of Cutting and Packing problems in an environment of uncertainty.